The Bridge Program is a unique program that has been designed to determine the college readiness of selected applicants and to help selected applicants make a successful transition to college.  (Please Note: This program is available ONLY to those applicants who have been notified by the Admissions Office that they are required to attend.) 

The program meets Monday-Thursday, from July 23rd through August 17th. During the program, students will: refine academic skills, gain a better understanding of the rigors of college life by taking an English course that focuses on reading, writing, and speaking, learn about the latest research Columbia faculty are working on, and have an early opportunity to experience Columbia’s campus.

 
Success in the Bridge Program
Students will be enrolled in an English course and grading is on a pass/fail basis. Student performance will be evaluated on a wide range of criteria, including, but not limited to: attendance, performance on homework, in-class activities, and displaying mature, “college-ready” behavior (which includes demonstrating respect for the faculty and for fellow-students).  

Students may be dismissed from the Bridge Program any time during the four-week session.  Though every effort will be made to provide students with communication that the student is not performing at an acceptable level and that the student has deficiencies that need to be addressed, there is no guarantee that any warning will always be given, especially under circumstances of egregiously improper academic or inter-personal behavior.

Any student receiving a failing grade at the end of the program or who is dismissed during the four-week session will not be admitted to the College. 

Cost of the Bridge Program
The Bridge Program is free.  Books and course materials are provided to students at no charge.  However, you are responsible for providing your own pens, pencils, notebooks, calculators, etc.

Bridge Preview Sessions
In order to enroll in the Bridge Program, students must first attend a Bridge Preview Session to learn expectations and go over information that will be helpful in the transition to Columbia.  Invitations to Bridge Preview Sessions will be sent to eligible students via email.

Bridge Preview Sessions will take place on:

Housing for Bridge 2012
Limited on-campus housing is available, at a cost, for Bridge participants who live beyond a commutable distance.  Local participants should NOT expect to live on campus during the program.  The cost of housing for the entire four-week program, including meal plan, is approximately $2500.00.

If you have questions about the Bridge Program, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@colum.edu or by phone at 312-369-7130.