Bridge Program

Build a Successful Transition to College

The Bridge Program is designed to support your transition to the college academic environment by building the skills and knowledge needed for success. Students are invited to participate during the admissions process based on a variety of academic and application factors.

As a Bridge Program participant, you’ll receive additional support to help you succeed both academically and personally. You’ll strengthen your academic confidence, practice effective learning strategies, and connect your goals to your academic and career plans.

Through a combination of individual and group activities, reflection, and hands-on application, you’ll develop essential college success skills while becoming part of a supportive community of students, faculty and staff.

The Bridge Program Advantage

As a Bridge Program participant, you will:

Strengthen Academic Skills – Apply strategies to improve note-taking, writing, reading, test-taking, studying, organization, and time management
Connect to Campus Resources – Explore academic, social, emotional, and mental health support services
Build Community – Develop meaningful connections with other students while navigating your first semester together
Create an Academic Plan – Develop a personalized success plan with ongoing advising and support
Grow Self-Awareness and Interpersonal Skills – Better understand yourself and others while building strategies to manage academic, personal, and social challenges

Participation Details

Bridge Program participants begin with an orientation held just prior to the Weekend of Welcome, the required program for all first-year students. This orientation introduces key academic concepts, campus resources, and provides an opportunity to connect with other students in a smaller, more supportive setting.

During your first semester at UW–Superior, you will enroll in a full-time course load that meets university requirements, along with a specially designed College Success Skills course. You’ll also participate in structured academic advising, planning, and required group or individual study sessions throughout the semester.

To successfully complete the Bridge Program, students must earn a grade of “C” or better in the course and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students who do not meet these requirements may be required to enroll in an additional skills course.

Enrollment Qualifications

Students may be enrolled in the Bridge Program as part of their admission to UW–Superior at the discretion of the Office of Admissions. Placement is based on academic factors and indicators of college readiness at the time of application. Participation in all components of the program is required.

Bridge Program Components

Core Components: Program Participation Requirements

Bridge Program Orientation

This special orientation is required for program participants. It is fun and informative and combines special campus awareness activities (i.e. where to find classrooms, how to use online systems, etc.), social activities to promote connections among students, staff, and faculty, as well as workshops to help orient students to the college culture and expectations.

Interdisciplinary Studies Course: College Success Skills

Participation in the Interdisciplinary Studies Course: College Success Skills course includes a classroom component, academic success planning, and required study hours. Class attendance and assignments, participation in academic advising sessions, and study hour completion are part of the final course grade assessment.

Classroom Component

Students meet one or two times weekly to engage in interactive activities designed to provide students the opportunity to develop and practice skills necessary for success on campus. Course topics include test taking, time management, note taking, reading, writing, organization, stress and anxiety management, and study strategies. Assignments focus on engaging with the material and applying them to their lives beyond the classroom.

Comprehensive Academic Planning

All Bridge Program participants meet individually with the Bridge Program Coordinator multiple times throughout the first semester for success planning. The informal sessions are designed to provide an additional level of support and accountability for students to ensure they are staying on track academically and connect them to additional campus resources as needed. These sessions may continue to be offered on an optional basis depending on student need throughout their first and second year of attendance at UWS.

Bridge Required Study Hours

All Bridge Program students are required to complete a specified number of study hours at the Educational Success Center, on-campus library, or with a qualified UWS peer tutor or Writing Consultant during their first semester. Group study sessions/tables will be offered for credit throughout the semester as well. The hours are meant to help students establish study routines and develop valuable healthy academic habits.

Contact Us

For questions about the Bridge program, please contact [email protected].