The program is specifically designed for incoming first-year undergraduate students who have received and accepted the University's offer of admission.  For more information on applying to Princeton, please visit our undergraduate admission website.

The University is strongly committed to making the Novogratz Bridge Year Program accessible to every incoming Princeton first-year student, regardless of financial circumstances. As such, all core costs for your Bridge Year are paid for by the University. You will incur no tuition or living expenses during the entire nine months of the program.

Bridge Year participants and their families are typically responsible for the incidental costs of travel to Princeton for pre-departure orientation, roundtrip airfare to the program site, visa fees, pre-travel immunizations, and on-site personal spending. Need-based funding, however, is available to cover these types of expenses.  If offered admission, the program will meet 100 percent of your demonstrated financial need.

You will be asked to indicate your preferred Bridge Year locations in your application. If selected for the program, you will be offered the chance to participate at a specific program site.

In evaluating applications, we look for openness, curiosity, maturity, flexibility, resourcefulness, a diversity of experience and perspective, an eagerness to be challenged, and a strong commitment to service.

Absolutely not. As you begin your Bridge Year experience, you will participate in a period of intensive language study and cultural training. Learning a new language takes time, but within a couple of months, you will acquire the necessary skills to communicate effectively within your community.

Participants are assigned to service placements based on their skills and interests along with the needs of the projects and organizations serving the local community. Once on-site, you will work closely with program staff to define and develop your community service assignment. Specific placements, however, cannot be guaranteed.

Students will be expected to attend a pre-departure orientation at Princeton University during the last week of August. At orientation, you will have the chance to meet your fellow Bridge Year students, as well as participate in a series of discussions and activities that will help you to prepare for your experience abroad. Students will travel to their respective Bridge Year program sites in groups immediately following orientation. Once on-site, orientation sessions will continue, along with intensive language instruction and an introduction to ongoing community service projects in the region.

Health and safety is our top priority. While there are inherent risks associated with any form of travel, particularly travel in developing countries, Princeton University and its on-site partners are committed to making every reasonable effort to provide you with a healthy and safe Bridge Year experience. 

Princeton's on-site partners are experienced providers of international service learning programs with exceptional records of success and safety. At each program location, two full-time staff members manage all aspects of program logistics and student support. On-site staff are there to guide and assist you throughout your experience.

As a Bridge Year volunteer, you will receive information regarding health and safety risks in pre‐departure materials and through orientation sessions held both at Princeton and on site at your program location. The goal of these sessions is to provide you with a full understanding of local health and safety concerns along with the protocols in place for managing your health and safety while abroad.
 

Program staff will organize overnight excursions, day trips and a variety of other activities free of charge throughout the year to help you gain a deeper understanding of your host country. Given your work schedule, as well as to better ensure your safety, independent travel is generally prohibited while on the program.

The commitment you make as a Novogratz Bridge Year volunteer is very important to the community that you are serving. Therefore, you should expect to engage in a nine-month period of service without making a trip back home. The absence of prolonged holiday breaks in Bridge Year service assignments will afford you the opportunity to integrate more fully in the life of your host family and local community, and gain a much deeper understanding of local culture and customs.

While visits from family and friends can be a truly wonderful experience, we strongly recommend that such visits take place after the program’s conclusion. During the program, you will be engaged in daily service and involved in a number of enrichment activities and excursions, both during the week and on weekends.