It is central to the success of Bridges programs that students move between partner institutions without facing unnecessary regulations or barriers. Articulation guarantees that certain courses can be transferred from one institution to another. Good articulation of courses and programs saves students time and money because it eliminates the need to repeat courses. Just as important, it prevents students from becoming discouraged when their hard work at one institution is not recognized at another.
Articulation is important to keeping students in the educational system.
Where articulation agreements work, faculty have useful guidelines regarding the content and skills students should master before continuing to the next level of their education. Likewise, articulation provides assurance to faculty at the second level institution that incoming students have a certain level of preparation in both content and scientific process. There are many models of articulation, even among Bridges programs where articulation agreements are required. In some cases, the agreements also include private institutions. Some states have comprehensive articulation agreements that allow departments to modify the course requirements.