BUZZ
Agency says it’s concerned about ‘the speed at which students‘ are completing bachelor’s, master’s degrees
The accrediting agency for the University of Maine at Presque Isle recently halted any expansions of its YourPace online degree program after reports raised concerns about the rapid pace at which some students were completing their degrees.
The New England Commission of Higher Education informed the university of its decision in a letter this month, the Washington Post reports.
The letter pointed to “concern about the dramatic growth of the YourPace program attributed in part to the speed at which students have been able to complete the credits required to earn a degree.”
The public university promotes the program as an affordable, accessible option for non-traditional students who want to earn their degrees online while working or caring for a family.
However, reports of students finishing their degrees in a very short time frame have prompted concerns about academic preparedness and rigor. For example, one student previously told the Post that she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in less than six months through the program.
In its letter this month, the accrediting agency told the public university that it will be reviewing the YourPace program over the next six months. However, it did not revoke the program’s accreditation status, and students currently enrolled will not be affected, NBC News Center Maine reports.
During the review period, the university will not be allowed to offer new degrees or majors through the YourPace program unless it first obtains approval from the accrediting agency, according to a Bangor Daily News report.
In response, the public university “stressed that the decision does not suspend any existing programs but temporarily suspended the blanket approval for bringing new programs online in the future,” NBC reports:
The [accrediting] commission said it wants more information about the rapid growth of the YourPace program and the speed at which some students complete their degrees. As part of a review scheduled for 2027, NECHE will examine enrollment, faculty involvement, transfer credits, graduation timelines, and how the university verifies student identity in online courses.
YourPace, launched in 2017, is an online degree-completion program for adult learners that allows students to work at their own pace through eight-week sessions. According to the university system, nearly 4,000 students are currently enrolled, and more than 12,500 have completed the program since it began.
University officials say many YourPace students enter with significant work experience and a large number of transfer credits, allowing them to finish the remaining requirements for a degree more quickly than traditional students.
In the spring, a Washington Post article reported about one student earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the program in just five months and at a fraction of the cost of traditional higher education institutions. Now, the student said she is coaching others on how to earn their degrees quickly.
The article described it as an example of “degree hacking.”
The online “work at your own pace” program offers eight-week sessions where students learn content themselves and are tested on their level of proficiency throughout the course. The 2025 summer session had more than 1,200 students enrolled, according to a news release at the time.
UM Presque Isle President Ray Rice stated in the release that “YourPace is helping to meet the needs of busy working adults,” offering “an entirely online pathway to affordable degree completion.”
The program charges students $1,800 per eight-week session for undergraduate courses and about $2,500 per session for graduate classes.
MORE: Fast-track online degree program at U. Maine draws accreditor’s scrutiny
