A growing number of students are hoping to save money and get a head start on job hunting by graduating early from college.

Higher-education experts say they have noticed the increase in early graduation by either a semester or a year at public and private colleges, especially since 2008.

Some colleges are capitalizing on this trend, offering three-year degree programs. The University of North Carolina in Greensboro recently unveiled a "Degree in 3" program.

Students at four-year colleges can apply course credits, such as credits earned through summer school or advanced-placement exams, hoping to zip through requirements in less time.

A growing number of students are hoping to save money and get a head start on job hunting by graduating early from college. Emily Glazer has details on Lunch Break.

Other students speed ahead while they're in college so they can enter the job market sooner. The money they save from graduating early is enticing, even if it means missing out on senior-specific milestones, like walking in the graduation procession.

But students who graduate early typically can't explore other subjects unrelated to their major and they miss time to emotionally mature, educators say.

Neha Gupta took classes most summers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, while attending the University of California at Los Angeles during the school year. She graduated three quarters early and saved around $40,000, allowing her to secure a job working as an intern analyst at UBS AG before entering graduate school.

"I definitely wish I had taken more of the random classes that you get to take in college," Ms. Gupta says. "But it wasn't worth the money for me."

Write to Emily Glazer at emily.glazer@wsj.com