THE BENEFITS OF SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAMS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED AND LOW‐INCOME TRANSFER STUDENTS

Abstract

University summer bridge programs or transitional programs for low‐income and minority transfer students are becoming an established part of the effort to recruit, retain, and graduate a population of students underrepresented in higher education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a summer bridge program on the academic, personal, and social development of underrepresented and low‐income transfer students during their first year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The 1988 entering cohort of Transfer Summer Program (TSP) students was tracked through their first two quarters at UCLA, collecting both attitudinal and academic data. The results of the study clearly suggest that summer bridge programs for underrepresented and low‐income students can help facilitate their transition and adjustment to university life and improve their academic performance and persistence rates. This is accomplished by increasing transfer students' control over their academic future by preparing them to effectively participate in a classroom, to assess their academic abilities, and by introducing them to campus services and encouraging the utilization of these services.