It states that a three-year college diploma program should provide a student with a minimum of eleven transfer credits (equivalent to at least 2 years of study) toward a four-year bachelor's degree, and a two-year diploma program should allow the student to earn six to eight university transfer credits toward a degree (equivalent to 1 or 1.5 years).
These minimum requirements were chosen based on the average amount of transfer credits awarded in the past by Registrars' Offices across Ontario universities.
[5] By 2005, the Bob Rae Report declared that "nowhere near enough progress has been made" because student demand for transfer agreements still overpowered the actual number of diploma-to-degree programs available.
To better serve students interested in researching bridge program pathways, the CUCC made information more accessible by developing the Ontario College-University Transfer Guide.
Parents also were involved in this program framework, as they were given learning materials on the organization of a college or university and how different departments, divisions, and offices supported students and their development on campus.
[12] Two examples of paid for and non-paid for college summer bridge programs can be found at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
This program is open to any incoming student to this institution, however, it does note that its resources are limited, and so it is offered on a first-come first serve sign up basis.
This program is specifically catered towards students of color, and even offers pathways to network with members of the institution's Black Alumni Committee.
It was developed as a separate route from university, with different secondary school prerequisites, that leads students to a distinct set of career choices.
[13] Since the inception of the college system, post-secondary education in Ontario has preserved its separate yet parallel tracks, despite changing demands in the workforce.
Danielle Renaud began a preliminary study in 2000 to discover the major barriers to collaborative programs between post-secondary institutions through a series of interviews with senior administrators at colleges and universities throughout Ontario.
University respondents echoed this statement; they admitted that faculty often viewed college programs as "lesser education" and that this stereotypical mindset would be difficult to overcome.
[15] University faculty may be hesitant to approach the subject of collaborative agreements with college diploma programs because they do not view it as a relationship that will benefit the reputation of their own institution.
They continue to view colleges in their traditional role as a preparation for the workplace, and feel as though they must protect the integrity of university education by remaining a separate entity.
With the successful creation of province-wide post-secondary agreements, students would attend university for two years and significantly reduce tuition costs.