Employers Say They’re Dropping Degree Requirements, But Hiring Lags

A new set of hiring surveys shows more employers are talking about skills-based hiring, but research suggests many have not changed behavior much. The University of Dallas is positioning its Catalyst Pathway as an alternative route for experienced professionals without a bachelor’s degree to enter graduate business study.

Why it matters: - Employers are publicly moving away from degree screens, but hiring outcomes have not kept pace. - That gap matters for experienced workers without a completed bachelor’s degree who want access to graduate business education and advancement. - The University of Dallas says its Catalyst Pathway offers one route for those candidates to be evaluated on experience as well as academic readiness.

What happened: - Seventy percent of employers in the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2026 survey said they use skills-based hiring for entry-level hires, up from 65% a year earlier. - TestGorilla’s 2025 survey found 53% of employers across the U.S. and U.K. had eliminated degree requirements. - Among U.S. employers in that survey, 57% said they had eliminated degree requirements. - The University of Dallas Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business is promoting the Catalyst Pathway for applicants without a completed bachelor’s degree.

The details: - A 2024 joint report from the Burning Glass Institute and the Harvard Business School Project on Managing the Future of Work examined 11,300 roles at large employers after degree requirements were removed. - Researchers estimated those policy changes created incremental opportunities for fewer than 1 in 700 hires. - About 45% of firms fell into the report’s “In Name Only” category, meaning the policy change produced no meaningful difference in hiring behavior. - The same study found 37% of firms accounted for nearly all of the increase in non-degree hiring. - At those “Skills-Based Hiring Leaders,” the share of workers hired without bachelor’s degrees into affected roles rose by nearly 20%. - The report linked measurable results to what employers did inside the hiring process after the policy announcement. - The IRS says Section 127 educational assistance programs can provide up to $5,250 per calendar year in tax-free educational assistance for 2025 and 2026. - Federal law made employer payments toward qualified education loans under Section 127 permanent and added cost-of-living adjustments to the $5,250 limit for taxable years after 2026. - The Catalyst Pathway considers applicants with at least eight years of professional work experience and at least two years in a supervisory role. - The pathway also requires all undergraduate transcripts, a personal statement and three letters of recommendation. - Students admitted through the Catalyst Pathway receive conditional admission. - Admitted students must complete six credit hours of prerequisite courses before core coursework. - Students must earn a 3.0 GPA and no grade below a B in those prerequisite courses. - The University of Dallas Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business is accredited by AACSB International. - The college says the Catalyst Pathway can help evaluate professional experience alongside readiness for graduate study. - Michael Sarles, director of graduate admissions and international student services at the University of Dallas, said experienced professionals can bring years of responsibility to an application that a degree screen may leave out.

Between the lines: - The survey data suggests many employers are changing language faster than hiring practice. - The University of Dallas is using that disconnect to position a selective admissions pathway for working professionals who can show leadership experience but lack a bachelor’s degree. - The admissions model still preserves academic gates, which signals access without lowering standards.

What’s next: - Prospective applicants can review Catalyst Pathway requirements with a University of Dallas graduate admissions counselor. - Candidates can discuss their experience, program goals and next steps before applying. - The college continues to market flexible MBA, MS and professional education programs for early- to mid-career professionals.

The bottom line: - Employers may be talking more about skills than degrees, but the hiring shift remains uneven. - The University of Dallas is betting that experienced professionals without a bachelor’s degree will want a clearer path into graduate business education.