Removing a degree requirement changes who is formally eligible to apply; it does not, by itself, change who gets hired. Employers also need to define the abilities a job actually requires, assess candidates consistently using job-related evidence, and check whether hiring outcomes change.
Do companies hire more workers without degrees after dropping degree requirements?
Sometimes, but a change in a job ad does not reliably translate into a change in hiring. A 2024 joint study by Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute reported that hiring of candidates without degrees rose by 3.5 percentage points in the roles it studied after employers removed degree requirements. Nearly all of the observed change was concentrated among 37% of the firms studied. These are findings from the study’s sample, not a universal estimate for every employer or proof that changing the wording alone caused the outcome. Harvard Kennedy School’s summary and the Harvard Business School research page describe the work.
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The distinction matters: postings measure what employers say applicants need, while hiring data measure who is selected. A company can remove a degree from its advertised minimum and still favor degree-holders in résumé screening, interviews, or final decisions. If the employer has not replaced the credential with clear criteria and a way to evaluate them, the old preference can persist informally.
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The credential may still operate as an unofficial filter
Recruiters and hiring managers may continue to treat a degree as a shortcut for readiness, even when it no longer appears in the posting. Applicants without degrees may also struggle to tell what evidence will count if the ad says only “degree or equivalent” without explaining what equivalent means.
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The employer has not defined what the job requires
A degree is a broad proxy for preparation. Removing it leaves a practical question: which knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies are needed to perform this particular role? The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) frames qualifications in job-related terms and recognizes that applicants may demonstrate them through education, experience, training, or a combination. Its guidance is designed for federal employment; it is a useful implementation example, not a rule that automatically governs private employers. See OPM’s skills-based hiring guidance and qualification policies.
Selection methods may still reward familiar backgrounds
If interview questions are inconsistent, reviewers rely on intuition, or candidates are asked to rate their own skills without direct verification, applicants may not be judged on comparable evidence. OPM advises agencies to use assessments tied to job competencies and cautions against relying solely on self-assessment. The specific process will vary by role and employer.
What is skills-based hiring?
Skills-based hiring means that job-related abilities materially affect who qualifies and who is selected. It is more than removing a degree line or adding a list of skills to an advertisement. The employer identifies the competencies needed for the work, tells candidates how they can show them, and applies relevant criteria consistently.
OPM defines an assessment tool as “a device or method used to measure the degree to which an applicant possesses the KSAs/competencies necessary for successful job performance.” In practice, that can mean evaluating a candidate’s work product or answers against a structured rubric rather than treating a degree as a stand-in for ability. Because OPM’s guidance applies to federal hiring, private employers can use its methods as examples while setting their own lawful, role-appropriate processes. OPM’s General Schedule Qualification Policies describes assessment tools and qualification concepts.
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How can employers replace a degree requirement with job-related criteria?
- Analyze the work. List the role’s essential tasks and the competencies needed to perform them. Check whether a degree is legally required or demonstrably connected to those tasks; do not carry forward a legacy requirement just because it has appeared in prior postings.
- Write explicit qualification alternatives. State which relevant experience, training, credentials, or demonstrated abilities can qualify someone. A posting should help applicants understand what counts, rather than leaving “equivalent” open to inconsistent interpretation.
- Choose an assessment that matches the work. Depending on the role, options include a work sample, structured interview, job-knowledge test, or situational judgment test. Use consistent criteria and scoring guidance for candidates being considered for the same job. OPM discusses these approaches in its assessment and selection guidance.
- Prepare the people making decisions. Hiring managers and recruiters need to recognize relevant evidence gained through different routes and apply the rubric consistently. In a 2024 Harvard Business Review discussion, Fuller and Sigelman emphasize that manager practice and organizational culture form part of the transition; this is expert commentary, not an independent causal evaluation. Their HBR article provides that perspective.
- Measure what happens after the change. Compare hiring outcomes before and after implementation, and inspect the stages between application and selection. Reviewing screening, assessment, interview, offer, and retention patterns by role and hiring team can reveal whether qualified non-degree candidates are advancing—or whether the policy changed only on paper. This is a practical monitoring approach, not a universal metric prescribed by the cited sources.
Is removing the degree line enough, or should employers redesign selection?
| Approach | What changes | Strength | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remove the degree line from the posting | Formal eligibility language | Opens the advertised application pool to candidates who may previously have self-selected out. | Screening preferences, interviews, and selection criteria may remain unchanged; the 2024 study found that posting changes did not map uniformly to hiring changes. Harvard Kennedy School; Harvard Business School. |
| Redesign qualifications and assessment | Job criteria, candidate evaluation, and outcome review | Gives applicants different ways to demonstrate job-related ability and lets the employer test whether hiring behavior changed. | Requires job analysis, assessment design, consistent manager use, and follow-through; the cited sources do not establish one implementation that fits every employer. OPM; OPM qualification policies; OPM assessment guidance. |
Before dropping a requirement, employers should ask whether it is necessary for the work or mandated by law. Some occupations require specific education, training, or licensure. The goal is not to eliminate every credential condition; it is to distinguish genuine requirements from assumptions and evaluate candidates on evidence relevant to the role.
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