Economic hardships have turned paying for college into even more of a struggle than ever before.

Luckily for some, a few universities have begun offering three-year bachelor’s degree programs to accommodate those who wish to cut costs.

Hartwick College, a private institution in mid-state New York, is one of the first major colleges to offer a structured three-year program – a trend that has already been seen at institutions such as Manchester College in Indiana and Seattle University.

Kaamilyah Abdullah-Span, assistant dean of students at the University, said that while no formal program exists at the University, students can still elect to complete their bachelor’s degree program in three years.

Other administrators said that no distinctive program is taking shape at this time.

“At this point it’s not on the radar,” said Lucy Rich, assistant dean for LAS.

Francis Borrego, director of marketing and communications for Hartwick College, said Hartwick decided to implement this program to take advantage of a redesign in curriculum at the college and to cater to students and families who find that paying for college is rapidly becoming out of reach.

“It’s becoming untouchable even for the middle class,” Borrego said.

Students participating in the program, beginning this fall, will save 25 percent of the tuition needed to pursue a four-year degree, Borrego said.

Borrego said the program is unique because unlike other three-year programs, Hartwick does not require summer classes or online classes.

Students are expected to earn 18 credits each regular term and an additional four credits during the school’s January term, Borrego said.

“Really what we’re doing is we’re providing an option for the students,” Borrego said.

The program is open to high school seniors who obtain a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, regardless of whether they have AP credits, he added.

Rich said that without a formal three-year bachelor’s program, many students at the University are completing their degrees in three years with the help of AP credit.

Some students taking advantage of this opportunity say the cost factor is a definite incentive.

Chris McGarry, junior in AHS, said he started working on completing his degree in three years as soon as he found out it was possible.

McGarry said he worked with his counselor sophomore year and came up with an outline of the classes he needed to take.

“I had a lot of AP credit, which helped immensely,” McGarry said.

McGarry said he took an average of 15 credit hours per semester.

“One thing for sure is the tuition money saved, which is making my parents very happy,” he added.

Despite the benefits, there are some social opportunities to be missed out on including studying abroad, McGarry said.

“It’s kind of a bummer in that respect,” he said.