NOTICE – The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) was established on June 1, 2024, in accordance with the Act to amend the Act respecting the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation with respect to research. The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) have since been regrouped into the new FRQ, which continues their existence. The rights and obligations of the FRQNT, FRQS and FRQSC have become those of the FRQ; activities continue as usual.

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Back to stories & reports
Increasing the number of university graduates is a concern that Québec’s Ministry of Education put forward in its Québec Policy on Universities (2000), in an effort to meet the needs of professional associations and corporations and the workplace for an increasingly skilled labour force.

Under this policy, Québec universities have committed to fostering the success of as many students as possible while protecting the quality of the education they provide. This commitment has many implications, one of which is the need to adapt university programs in order to provide appropriate training to a diverse student population. This diversity includes to the academic background of students, an increasing number of whom are entering undergraduate programs directly from a technical program at CEGEP.

An increasing number of students are entering undergraduate programs directly from a technical program.

The present research pays particular attention to the experience of students from technical CEGEP programs who decide to continue their studies at the undergraduate level through what is known as an integrated program. As integrated programs become increasingly popular as a means of avoiding unnecessary duplication of content when transferring from CEGEP to university, it is important to understand the factors affecting the experience—and therefore the student retention and academic success—of the students in these programs.

This report introduces the context and theoretical framework of our research. It then describes the research methodology, followed by an analysis of data collected from students, professors and lecturers and the program administrators of three integrated programs offered at Québec universities. This research identifies several determinants that appear to play a role in the academic experience of students during their first year of undergraduate studies.

Main researcher

Louise Ménard, Université du Québec à Montréal

Research report

Call for proposals

Deposit of the research report: September 2007