The Bridge Scholarships Program is an extensive scholarship program which offers students scholarships for the 1st and further years of their studies. It was initiated in 2002 by our partner, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation in response to a serious social problem – the clear disparity of access to higher education between urban and rural youth. The program helps talented young people from small localities, including former state-owned farm areas, make the decision to begin university studies by offering them first-year scholarships. The Program is aimed at ambitious and talented secondary school graduates from small towns, families of modest financial means who plan to continue their education at university. By granting the scholarship for first year of studies, the program supports young people who take up studies and opens the door to an extensive scholarships system for further years of studies. The scholarship beneficiaries with excellent academic performance stand a chance of being granted financial support for further years of their studies.