Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) has become the first Texas higher-ed institution to offer a reduced-hour, three-year bachelor’s degree program, the San Antonio school announced Monday.
With a lower overall cost of attendance and a six-semester structure, the new program offers students a fast track to the job market or graduate school, officials at the private Catholic institution said. While maintaining the same general education, major and minor requirements as traditional four-year programs, Lake Express cuts unnecessary elective courses to streamline the process, OLLU president Abel Chávez said.
“By offering a three-year bachelor’s degree option, we are empowering students to achieve their academic goals more efficiently while reducing financial burdens and opening doors to career opportunities sooner,” Chávez said in an emailed statement.
Majors available under the program include psychology, criminology and criminal justice, social work and childhood studies. Students also will be able to couple with a minor.
The unveiling of Lake Express comes roughly a month after a research study classified OLLU as a “high stress” institution, or one that’s less adaptable to changing economic tides. The study’s author, Colorado State University political scientist Kyle L. Saunders, evaluated U.S. universities based on their ability to weather the rise of AI, falling enrollment and other destabilizing market factors.
OLLU Provost Alan J. Silva disputed the study’s findings at the time, noting that it was based on 2024 data. He said the school has since made significant changes that weren’t reflected in Saunders’ conclusions.
Beyond the launch of Lake Express, the university discontinued 19 low-enrollment programs last year. This May, it launched a “no-cost” five-year master’s program for eligible students.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has already approved OLLU’s Lake Express program. That means the campus will welcome its first cohort of students into three-year program in fall 2026.
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