The College Bridge Program provides academically advanced high school students from the Chicago Public School system a way to go beyond their high school curriculum and study at the undergraduate level in the College at the University of Chicago.
During Academic Year Bridge, students have the opportunity to participate in regular undergraduate courses alongside students in the College. During Summer Bridge, students may also participate in intensive academic programs designed specifically for academically ambitious high school students from around the world who are ready to study at the undergraduate level, or in our special intensive language courses that cover a full year of language learning in just nine weeks.
Courses open to Bridge students range across disciplines such as history, foreign languages, biological sciences, and physical sciences. The College Bridge Advisor will help students choose from among the available offerings, in accordance with their individual backgrounds and goals and provide students with support throughout their time in the program.
Summer Bridge
Program Overview
Participants in the Summer Bridge program will enroll alongside high school and/or undergraduate students from across the globe in one course during the University of Chicago's Summer Session. They will work with world-class faculty and instructors to take intellectual risks, dive deeply into subjects, and discuss questions that go beyond the realm of high school curricula. Participants will select a course designed specifically for high school students in our Immersion or Summer Online program, or courses that are drawn from the UChicago curriculum in Summer College or the Summer Language Institute. College Bridge is a commuter-based program and any student who wants to live in the residential hall should apply as a Summer Session student.
This program is made possible by a collaboration between the University of Chicago's Summer Session and Office of Civic Engagement.
Eligibility
Applicants must be enrolled in Chicago Public Schools for both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years and must be a freshman, sophomore, or junior during the 2023-2024 academic year. They have a strong academic record in a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum, taking advanced courses in their high school in the subject they wish to study at UChicago or the most closely related discipline. In addition, students should demonstrate the emotional maturity necessary to tackle undergraduate-level coursework, in areas such as self-motivation, self-discipline, and time management.
See the Application and Costs section below for more information.
Important Dates
March 5, 2024: Deadline to submit all applications. Students should start an application and input their recommender’s information as soon as possible and the recommender will receive a request right away, even before the application is submitted. Students should submit their application before their recommendation is received, if necessary.
Mid-April 2024: Admissions decisions will be released, including the course placement.
Mid-late April 2024: Students have one week after admissions decisions are sent to confirm their participation.
June 15 (Session 1) or July 10 (Session 2) 2024: Summer Session Orientation provides information for students (and parents/family members, should they wish to attend) to become acquainted with class expectations, community standards, and what a typical day will be. All students must attend Summer Session Orientation for their session. We will send emails with the details of Orientation closer to the start of Summer Session.
Courses and Academic Information
For Summer 2024, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students can apply to take remote classes or participate in in-person classes as commuters to courses in the following UChicago Summer Session programs:
- Immersion Program: open to current CPS freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, these courses are only open to pre-college students and dive deep into a specific subject; they are the equivalent of one undergraduate-level course in 3 weeks; these courses are only offered in person.
- Pre-College Connect: open to current CPS freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, these courses are only open to pre-college students and dive deep into a specific subject; connect with UChicago both online and in-person
- Summer Online: open to current CPS freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, these courses are only open to pre-college students and dive deep into a specific subject; they are the equivalent of one undergraduate-level course in 5 weeks; these courses are only offered remotely.
- Summer College: open to current CPS juniors, these courses are from the regular undergraduate curriculum and are the equivalent of 10 weeks condensed down to 3-5 weeks; these courses are only offered remotely.
- Summer Language Institute: open to current CPS juniors, these courses condense language learning from an entire 30-week academic year into 8 weeks; these courses are only offered remotely and are 300 units per course.
The pages linked above contain the details about the various programs under which Summer Session courses fall and include links to the individual course listings. On the application, students will be asked to provide up to 4 course choices from any of the programs listed above and final decisions on course placement will be made by the Summer Session and College Admissions team.
See the Application and Costs section below for more information.
Academic Credit
All courses are graded (A-F), carry at least 100 units of credit, and are part of the University of Chicago’s undergraduate curriculum. It’s important to note that, as opposed to many universities that structure their calendars by semesters, the University of Chicago operates on a quarter system. Each University of Chicago 100-unit course is the equivalent of 3.3 semester credit hours.
Students interested in transferring UChicago credit earned during College Bridge should contact the university where you would want the credit to be applied about their requirements for doing so. Transfer of credit is at the discretion of the recipient university. You will be able to request your transcript via your MyUChicago account after your courses end. Students who go on to attend the University of Chicago will not be able to use these courses towards their graduation requirements.
Advising and Mentorship
Summer Session’s Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, Sarah Lopez, supports all participants as the College Bridge Adviser. Check-ins can be arranged with students to ensure they receive the support they need to be successful in College Bridge.
Application Instructions (Summer)
All College Bridge applications require short personal essays, a graded work sample, a letter of recommendation from a teacher in subject related to the one they wish to study at UChicago, and transcripts from all high schools attended.
Students are chosen based on a combination of factors, including the course prerequisites, along with the student’s essays, graded writing or project sample. Please review the Overview for Summer Session Pre-College Applicants on the How to Apply page to begin your application; the same guidelines apply for Summer Session, Summer Bridge, and Academic Year Bridge. College Bridge is a commuter-based program and applicants who want to live in the residential hall during Summer Session should apply as a Summer Session student.
Tips for completing the Summer 2024 Bridge application:
- There is no application fee to apply for College Bridge and all students must complete the standard Summer Session application; no additional College Bridge application is required
- Review the Summer Session courses available in the Immersion, Pre-College Connect, and Summer Online programs (current 9th, 10th, or 11th grade) and/or the Pre-College Summer Language Institute and Summer College courses (current 11th grade only)
- You may select up to four courses
- Under the Recommender section: jump here after completing the Personal Profile section
- Enter your recommender's information to give them the most time possible to submit their recommendation
- Students should submit their application as soon their parts are completed; they should not wait for the recommendation letter
- Under Program Selection:
- Current level of education is for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Apply for the "Regular" deadline of March 5, 2024
- The order in which you select your program and courses will be read as your order of preference (e.g. first course listed is your first choice, second course listed is second choice, etc.)
- On the Financial Aid section:
- Students should select "Yes" for the question "Are you a Chicago Public School student who would like to be considered for College Bridge?"
- This will ensure that the application fee is waived.
- Students who want to apply for Tier 1/full need based support from College Bridge should say "yes" to "Would you like to apply for need-based financial aid?" answer the supplementary questions and upload the required financial documentation. US citizens and permanent residents can either submit:
- documents showing eligibility for SNAP benefits, or
- their parents' most recent 1040s and W2s
- If you have any questions about what to provide, please contact us at summersession@uchicago.edu
- Students should select "Yes" for the question "Are you a Chicago Public School student who would like to be considered for College Bridge?"
Program Costs and Financial Support (Summer)
Costs for this program include a greatly reduced tuition, the Lifetime Transcript Fee, and textbooks, as noted in Tier 2 in the chart, below. Students can be considered for additional funding, which will be based on household income, and assigned to Tier 1, if admitted. The chart below shows the two tiers of support available.
Students who wish to be considered for the Tier 1 funding will need to upload additional financial documentation on the Financial Aid and Scholarship page of their application. US citizens and permanent residents should supply their parents' most recent 1040s and W2s. If you have any questions about what to provide, please contact us at summersession@uchicago.edu.
Please note that funding for the College Bridge program does not cover any costs associated with transportation to and from the university. If remote learning occurs, College Bridge does not cover costs for the technology necessary to participate in remote learning, such as laptops or tablets, and home internet access.
Tier 1 Student Pays
- Tuition (per 100 units): $0
- Books (per quarter; estimate): $0
- Lifetime Transcript Fee (one-time): $0
- Application Fee:** $0
Tier 2 Student Pays
- Tuition (per 100 units): *$600
- Books (per quarter; estimate): $50-100
- Lifetime Transcript Fee (one-time): $75
- Application Fee:** $0
* Summer Language Institute intensive summer courses are 300 units, which means tuition and aid will be based on a cost of $1,800 per course.
**The Summer Session application fee will be waived for all CPS students who select College Bridge under the Financial Aid section of the application.
Summer Bridge Extracurricular Costs
During Summer Session, many Bridge students will enroll in our programs for pre-college students, which are in-person, on campus, and all day long. In consideration of the additional extracurricular costs during Summer Session, each Summer Bridge student enrolled in an in-person, on campus course will receive Maroon Dollars (money on their UChicago ID card) so that they can eat lunch in the dining hall with their peers. Summer Session will also set aside funding for Bridge students to participate in excursions with the residential students that have a fee associated and will pay the excursion fee directly.
Academic Year Bridge
Program Overview
Participants in the Academic Year Bridge program enroll alongside UChicago undergraduates from across the globe in one course each quarter. They will work with world-class faculty and instructors to take intellectual risks, dive deeply into subjects, and discuss questions that go beyond the realm of high school curricula. Participants will select a course from the College’s undergraduate curriculum, in close consultation with the College Bridge Adviser, and follow the same guidelines that apply to all UChicago undergraduates.
This program is made possible by a collaboration between the University of Chicago's Summer Session and Office of Civic Engagement.
Eligibility
Applicants must be enrolled in Chicago Public Schools for both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years and must be a junior or senior during the 2024-2025 academic year. They have a strong academic record in a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum, taking the most advanced courses possible in their high school in the subject they wish to study at UChicago or the most closely related discipline. In addition, students should demonstrate the emotional maturity necessary to tackle undergraduate-level coursework, in areas such as self-motivation, self-discipline, and time management.
Important Dates
May 17, 2024: Academic Year Bridge application opened.
July 11, 2024: Deadline to submit all applications. Students should start an application and input their recommender’s information as soon as possible; the recommender will receive a request right away, even before the application is submitted. Students should submit their application before their recommendation is received, if necessary. The review and interview process will begin after this date or after recommendations are received.
Mid-August, 2024: Admissions decisions will be released and students will receive available courses to review
Mid-late August, 2024 (one week after decisions are released): Deadline for confirming participation and to submit course preferences
Early September 2024: Bridge participants will be enrolled in their UChicago course and their schedule finalized
September 30, 2024: Autumn courses begin
Courses and Academic Information
Courses and Academic Calendar
The University of Chicago's academic year consists of the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, each of which is 9 weeks long and, during Academic Year Bridge, students can enroll in one 100-unit course per quarter. However, many students choose to end their studies after winter quarter due to the spring quarter ending around the same time as Chicago Public Schools' graduation. The specific dates can be viewed on the UChicago Academic Calendar page, particularly because these quarters do not coincide neatly with the CPS calendar and you will be expected to attend classes at the University of Chicago even when there is no school at your high school.
Fall Quarter: September-December
Winter Quarter: January-March
Spring Quarter: March-June
Areas of study may include:
- Biological Sciences
- Humanities (including foreign language study)
- Physical Sciences (example: Honors Calculus)
- Social Sciences, (example: Economics, Civilization Studies)
The best and most plentiful options for College Bridge students are UChicago’s Humanities Core, language courses, and Honors Calculus.
“Part of every first-year student’s course schedule, the Humanities Core is the foundation of Chicago’s general education curriculum. It is instrumental in facilitating the transition from high school to college by helping students become independent thinkers. In small discussion-based seminars, students learn and practice the art of oral argument and dialogue.”
There are an extremely limited number of Physical and Biological Science courses that are both 1) open to College Bridge and 2) during times that Bridge students can participate. STEM-oriented students should be equally open to taking classes in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Enrollment in any of these areas will require that a student has completed their high school graduation requirements in the subject area and have completed the most advanced course in that subject area (for example, an Advanced Placement (AP) course) with a strong record of achievement. A placement test may be required for some subjects; the College Bridge Adviser will help each student select their course(s). If, for any reason, you are no longer going to take College Bridge courses, you must notify and consult with your high school counselor and they will most likely re-enroll you in two high school classes at that time.
CPS Block Schedule: UChicago courses are typically MW, MWF, TR, or MTWRF and this does not align well with the CPS block schedule. This means that students often need courses before 9 am or after 2 pm when UChicago courses are relatively limited and many of the available courses are in the humanities. Students should come into the College Bridge program being open to enrolling in an available course, not just a course in their preferred academic area.
Coordination with Chicago Public Schools
Participation in Academic Year College Bridge must also be approved by your high school counselor or principal. Generally, for each course taken at the University of Chicago, you will be excused from two courses at your high school. After you have obtained permission, the College Bridge Advisor will work with your high school counselor to confirm that your participation is possible and doesn’t interfere with your high school academic or co-curricular requirements.
Academic Credit
All courses are graded (A-F), carry at least 100 units of credit, and are part of the University of Chicago’s undergraduate curriculum. It’s important to note that, as opposed to many universities that structure their calendars by semesters, the University of Chicago operates on a quarter system. Each University of Chicago 100-unit course is the equivalent of 3.3 semester credit hours.
Students interested in transferring UChicago credit earned during College Bridge should contact the university where you would want the credit to be applied about their requirements for doing so. Transfer of credit is at the discretion of the recipient university. You will be able to request your transcript via your MyUChicago account after your courses end. Students who go on to attend the University of Chicago will not be able to use these courses towards their graduation requirements.
Grades
A grade of B- or higher must be achieved in order to move on to the next quarter. Grades are listed on high school transcripts and weighted as an AP class. Students cannot take courses for a pass/fail grade.
Advising and Mentorship
Summer Session’s Assistant Director of Academic Affairs, Sarah Lopez, supports all participants as the College Bridge Adviser. Regular check-ins will be arranged with students to ensure they receive the support they need to be successful in College Bridge.
Application Instructions (Academic Year)
All College Bridge applications require short personal essays, a graded work sample, a letter of recommendation from a teacher in a subject related to the one they wish to study at UChicago, and transcripts from all high schools attended. Applicants will also participate in an online interview.
Students are chosen based on a combination of factors, including the course prerequisites, along with the student’s essays, graded writing or project sample, and a video interview with College Bridge. Please review the Overview for Summer Session Pre-College Applicants on the How to Apply page to begin your application; the same guidelines apply for Summer Session, Summer Bridge, and Academic Year Bridge. In addition, review the "Courses and Academic Information" section, above, to help determine the areas of study for which you might be eligible.
Please remember:
- Here are notes for specific sections of the application:
- Application Management – on this page, “2024 Summer” is the correct area for Academic Year College Bridge. Summer Bridge applications have closed.
- Program Type – On this page you’ll see that the only options are for those that will be in 11th or 12th grade during the 2024-2025 Academic Year; “Summer Programs for High School Students” is the only program option. Click “continue.”
- Course Selection – Click “continue.” At this time, no specific courses are available to select for Academic Year Bridge.
- Recommenders - Start an application and input their recommender’s information as soon as possible; the recommender will receive a request right away, even before the application is submitted.
- Students can submit their application before their recommendation is received.
- Tuition & Financial Aid - The costs associated with College Bridge are listed below and students should submit a Financial Aid application if they want to be considered for additional funding that would cover all program costs.
Program Costs and Funding Support (Academic Year)
The University of Chicago's academic year consists of the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, each of which is 9 weeks long and, during Academic Year Bridge, students can enroll in one 100-unit course per quarter. However, many students choose to end their studies after winter quarter due to the spring quarter ending around the same time as Chicago Public Schools' graduation. The specific dates can be viewed on the UChicago Academic Calendar page.
Fall Quarter: September-December
Winter Quarter: January-March
Spring Quarter: March-June
Costs for this program include a greatly reduced tuition, the Lifetime Transcript Fee, and textbooks, as noted in Tier 2 in the chart, below. Students can be considered for additional funding, which will be based on household income, and assigned to Tier 1, if admitted. The chart below shows the two tiers of support available.
Students who wish to be considered for the Tier 1 funding will need to upload additional financial documentation on the Financial Aid and Scholarship page of their application. US citizens and permanent residents should supply their parents' most recent 1040s and W2s. If you have any questions about what to provide, please contact us at summersession@uchicago.edu.
Please note that funding for the College Bridge program does not cover any costs associated with transportation to and from the university. If remote learning occurs, College Bridge does not cover costs for the technology necessary to participate in remote learning, such as laptops or tablets, and home internet access.
Tier 1 Student Pays
- Tuition (per 100 units each quarter): $0
- Books (per quarter; estimate): $0
- Lifetime Transcript Fee (one-time): $0
Tier 2 Student Pays
- Tuition (per 100 units each quarter): $600
- Books (per quarter; estimate): $50-100
- Lifetime Transcript Fee (one-time): $100