Pacific University will offer Oregon's first in-person three-year bachelor's degrees starting in fall 2027, cutting one full year of tuition, fees, and housing costs for students in three majors: chemistry, computer science, and sustainability & adaptation.

The programs, detailed in a university announcement Tuesday, July 28, require 96 credits spread over three years instead of the 124 credits typical of a four-year degree. Students take the same major coursework as their four-year counterparts but complete fewer general education electives. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the regional accrediting body, has already approved the change.

The three-year programs will be based at Pacific's main campus in Forest Grove. But for families in Bethany and Cedar Mill, Pacific's Health Professions Campus in downtown Hillsboro remains the closest four-year university campus, and the school's broader expansion adds weight locally.

As we reported July 14, Pacific and Willamette University signed a merger agreement that month to form what both schools call Oregon's largest private university, provisionally named the University of the Northwest. That merger is expected to close in early 2027, pending regulatory approval, with a full transition taking up to two years.

The three-year computer science degree carries particular weight along the Washington County tech corridor, where employers including Intel and Nike draw from the local graduate pipeline.

"Pacific's three-year degrees are built for driven students who already know exactly what they want to study and are eager to launch their careers," Jaye Cee Whitehead, dean of Pacific's Division and College of Undergraduate Studies, said in the announcement.

At least 70 U.S. schools have introduced three-year bachelor's programs, according to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

The approach is not without critics. The American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers issued a joint statement June 30 arguing that three-year degrees risk narrowing students' education. AAUP President Todd Wolfson and AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote that colleges should reduce costs through expanded financial aid rather than strip down curricula that prioritize speed over intellectual development.

Pacific has not yet published specific tuition figures for the three-year programs or an enrollment deadline for fall 2027.