700 scholarships for the first year of studies were received by students from villages and small towns, from low income families, who started full-time studies this year. The ceremony of the 15 th edition of the Bridge Scholarships Program inauguration took place on November 23 in Warsaw.
A group of 40 students representing over 1100 scholarship holders from all over Poland received diplomas from Prof. Adam Glapiński, President of the National Bank of Poland, Jerzy Koźmiński, President of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and Prof. Jerzy Dietl, President of the Educational Enterprise Foundation.
“Bridge Scholarships” is an extensive scholarship system offering students financial support for the 1st and subsequent years of university studies. The scholarships are awarded to ambitious and gifted high school leavers from villages and small towns, from low income families, who start full-time studies. The Program helps young people begin their university courses by granting them scholarships for the first year of study, and the best students get support also for their further academic education. ‘The questionnaire survey shows that for 70% of the program alumni the scholarship made their main livelihood. It is worth noting that 80% of our scholarship holders complete their master degree courses on time, and 90% do it with “good” or “very good” results,’ Jerzy Koźmiński, President of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation said.
Scholarships in the amount of PLN 500, paid monthly, are granted to students who perform very well and meet one of the following criteria – come from the family of former collective farm worker; are finalists of one of the high school Olympiads; come from a large family, a foster family or a children’s home; have recommendation of a local NGO.
Six categories of scholarships are granted under the Program. Apart from support for the first year of university studies, students who perform well can obtain scholarships for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of studies, foreign language scholarships, scholarships for studies abroad, doctoral scholarships as well as internships in Poland and in the United States.
‘I would like to thank all donors and partners for supporting and financing the program. It’s the 15th year of this undertaking, over 20,000 scholarships – behind each of these numbers there are fates of individual scholarship holders, my peers. “Bridge Scholarships” not only help us start studies far from our homes but also open to us various opportunities, help develop our passions and achieve success,’ Dominik Wasiluk, a program alumnus said.
To date over 20,000 scholarships have been granted under the Bridge Scholarships Program, including almost 15,000 for the 1st year of studies. Only this year more than 1100 students of master and doctoral courses get support, including 700 students of the 1st year of studies.
“Bridge Scholarships” is one of the largest scholarship programs in Poland. It is possible thanks to support of many Partners: the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, the National Bank of Poland, the Rural Development Foundation, the BGK Foundation, the BGŻ BNP Paribas Foundation, the mBank Foundation, the PZU Foundation as well as a coalition of ca. 100 local NGOs. For the 15th edition of the Program, its Partners earmarked almost PLN 100 million.
The Program is implemented with the organizational support of the Agricultural Property Agency. It is managed by the Educational Enterprise Foundation.
The media patrons of the Program are Rzeczpospolita daily, Forum Akademickie and Perspektywy.
