President Randy Boyd is presenting an initiative to develop reduced-credit undergraduate degrees (between 90 and 119 credits) aligned to new SACSCOC guidance and forthcoming Tennessee Higher Education Commission policy, with Board support requested June 30, 2026. The intent is for the UT System to be an early adopter, creating shorter, workforce-focused bachelor-level credentials that reduce time and cost, particularly in high-demand fields, while maintaining rigor and meeting accreditation and aid requirements. The Board resolution explicitly authorizes officers to work with institutional leadership and faculty to design such programs, align financial aid, advising, scheduling, and other student supports, and engage with THEC and accrediting bodies to secure necessary approvals.This is a system-wide strategic shift that will require degree-program portfolio analysis, labor-market alignment studies, instructional design, advising and planning tools, financial-aid modeling, and potentially new student information system configurations to handle atypical degree structures. Consulting firms, labor-market analytics providers, curriculum and scheduling optimization platforms, and student-planning/degree-audit vendors have an opportunity to help UT campuses identify candidate disciplines, design scalable program models, and put in place advising and data systems that support reduced-credit pathways.

The resolution specifically mentions aligning financial aid, advising, scheduling, and student support structures with the new degree type, signaling likely cross-functional implementation projects once candidate programs are identified.