Since the program’s launch in 2009, we have seen participants grow enormously from this experience. After a year of community-engaged learning abroad, Bridge Year students return to Princeton’s campus more focused, refreshed and with a greater sense of purpose.  As students and families consider whether starting their Princeton experience with Bridge Year is right for them, we recommend that you look through the program details on our website, as well as data from the American Gap Year Association and NBC's online parent toolkit.

Participants incur no University charges related to the program.  Princeton is strongly committed to making the Novogratz Bridge Year Program accessible to every incoming first-year student and, as such, the University covers the core program costs of Bridge Year for all participants.

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.  Supplemental funding, however, is provided to students with financial need to help cover these costs.   

Student 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 ensuring a healthy and safe experience for our students abroad. 

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

Through the Bridge Year office, participants (and their families) have access to a wide network of program support services that includes Princeton’s global safety and security unit and University Health Services, in addition to external health and security organizations such as International SOS . 

If you have specific questions about on‐site health and safety issues, please do not hesitate to contact the Novogratz Bridge Year Program office.

Princeton's on‐site partners have exceptional records of delivering safe, healthy, and engaging global service learning programs. At each Bridge Year location, our partner organization has hired two Bridge Year coordinators who are responsible for on-site program management and student support. On‐site coordinators are there to guide and assist Bridge Year volunteers throughout the experience.

Participants prepare for departure throughout the summer and arrive on campus in mid- August for an in-person orientation program. Immediately following orientation, students depart in groups for their respective Bridge Year program sites.  The program concludes nine months later, in mid-May. 

Developing collaborative community relationships requires a sustained committment. As such, participants are expected to engage in a nine‐month period of service without making a trip back home. Given the length of stay at the Bridge Year program location, participants are able to engage more fully in the life of the host family and local community and gain a much a deeper understanding of local culture and customs.

Please feel free to call or email us any time with questions or concerns.