(ABC 6 News)- The University of Minnesota Rochester has a new advocate for their “College in 3” program, as Senator Amy Klobuchar came to Rochester on Friday morning to highlight the benefits.

UMR was the first to implement it back in the fall of 2022. College in 3 is a movement aiming to reduce the cost of college by offering a three-year degree program.

“I wouldn’t be standing here today if we didn’t have innovation in students, like those, like my mom was way back during the depression, or my dad in that hard scrabble mining town of Ely, or my sister with her own challenges. All that happened because someone believed in their education,” said Klobuchar.

The program started off with a pilot group of around 20 students called “Next Gen Med,” a group studying the business of health care. The end goal helping students graduate faster.

“Many students start and do not finish. And those completion rates of college, add to the financial challenges and so we want to design programs that get that cost down, and get the outcomes of completion up,” said Lori Carrell, the chancellor of UMR.

One UMR student moved to Rochester from Syria. She is not part of the college in 3 program, but hopes it will help others.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for students who come from underrepresented backgrounds, who truly can’t afford college, and it’s a wonderful program for them to reduce the cost for them. You know one year, you can save so much debt in just one year,” said UMR student Joud Haj Sakor.

According to the chancellor, students can save up to 26 thousand dollars through the program, with the next step now being expansion.

“We have a strategic plan that has 3 phases. Bold, bolder, and boldest. We’re moving on to bolder now. And that will involve the expansion of programs, the expansion of expertise and people who come to work with us, and the expansion of our place,” said Carrell.

You can find more information regarding the program here.