about half the time to complete a bachelors degree
Hmmm.
An ATPL may not be degree level, but let's not overstate the amount of time it actually takes to get a degree - even at a 'proper' university.
I read Law at King's College London. Each academic year at London was, in common with Oxford and Cambridge, about 25 weeks in practice (longer in theory) and Wednesday was 'Sports Day'. Or, in my case, University Air Squadron when the weather was good and Students Union work when it wasn't.
So, in reality, each academic year was the equivalent of 20 x 5-day weeks (25 x 4-day weeks), or 60 x 5-day weeks spread over 3 years.
I don't remember many people working genuinely full days. Those who did, with some exceptions, tended to be those who'd been lucky to get in and were struggling to keep up.
That was at one of the top colleges of one of the top universities. I have great difficulty believing an ATPL is easier to achieve than some of the dubious degrees awarded by some of the higher education institutions which are now called 'universities'.
A campaign to which I was pleased to add my name >
FairPlane