A growing number of Americans are finishing college degrees in weeks, not years. They use online platforms, credit transfers, and competency-based programs to do it. The trend is known as ‘Degree Hacking’, ‘College Speed Runs’, or ‘Hyper-Accelerated Degrees’. It has passionate supporters and serious critics in equal measure.
Christie Williams is one of the most talked-about examples. The North Carolina HR executive finished her bachelor's degree in just three months in 2024.
She first spent two months earning credits through online tutorials after work. Then she completed 11 classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in four weeks. She later earned her master's degree in just five weeks.
Both degrees together cost her just over $4,000. She has since coached around a thousand students to do the same. "Why wouldn't you do that? It's kind of a no-brainer if you know about it," Williams told The Washington Post.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle runs a program called YourPace. It currently has more than 3,000 online students enrolled. The program charges $1,800 per eight-week session for undergraduates. Graduate degrees cost $2,450 per session.
This gives students a strong financial push to finish as fast as possible. Of nearly 300 students who graduated in fall 2024, more than one in four finished in a single eight-week session.
Campus president Raymond Rice said the program targets working adults aged 20 and older. They need a credential for a raise or a promotion, not a campus experience. "They literally just need a certificate," Rice told The Post.
These programs run on competency-based education. Students must prove they learned the material through assignments or tests.
There are no class meetings, group discussions, or weekly deadlines. Students can also transfer credits from past coursework or workplace learning.
Online platforms like Study.com and StraighterLine count too. Some students cover up to three-quarters of their credits this way.
For Serenity James of Atlanta, however, the fast track genuinely changed her life. She finished her bachelor's degree and MBA in under a year. The total cost was under $9,000, covered largely by a scholarship and grants.
She was promoted to a higher-paying job shortly after graduating. No employer has ever questioned how quickly she finished or where she studied.
"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, honestly," she told the publication.
Growing Criticism
TL;DR: We want diplomas that mean something," she told the publication.
"We want diplomas that mean something," she told the publication. "I would prefer to have some of these degrees called something other than a bachelor's."
The head of the New England Commission of Higher Education also raised concerns. The commission oversees accreditation for the University of Maine system.
He told The Post that he had never heard of degrees completed in just a few months. He suggested the matter may need investigation.
"If students are getting a baccalaureate degree in a few months, the commission could certainly inquire, 'Is there integrity to the degree to be awarded?'" said commission president Larry Schall.
Cheating concerns have also come up. In January, Purdue Global restricted the number of classes students could take per term. The school cited concerns about academic integrity and the value of degrees.
Some Western Governors University students on Reddit have urged peers to stop boasting about their speed. They have warned that it damages the school's reputation for everyone.
The debate over these degrees is only growing louder. A cottage industry of coaches and YouTube influencers now teaches others how to do it.
Some charge as little as $5 for a how-to guide. Others charge up to $1,500 for one-on-one coaching sessions.
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