The Shelton State Bridge Program is a cooperative effort between The University of Alabama (UA) and Shelton State Community College (SSCC), providing deserving students with an alternate path to a UA degree. A cohort of up to 125 students is chosen yearly to join this program where they will attend SSCC for one year before seamlessly transitioning to UA to complete a bachelor’s degree.
How Does It Work?
- Select students who have applied to UA but do not currently meet the academic requirements to enroll at UA are sent an email inviting them to enroll in the Shelton State Bridge Program.
- Students who opt into the program must apply to Shelton State Community College. Application fees for UA and SSCC are waived.
- Once students opt into the program, they will receive update notifications from both UA and SSCC, such as for housing and registration.
- While students are concurrently enrolled at both UA and SSCC, Bridge students are not classified as “full-time students,” and therefore must complete their orientation process at SSCC.
- Students will attend classes at SSCC for one year (a fall and spring semester).
- While attending classes at SSCC, students will take one class at UA on Fridays – BCE 101 in the fall and GS 101 in the spring.
- After completing a fall and spring semester at SSCC and meeting program requirements, students transfer to UA to complete a bachelor’s degree.
- When transferring to UA, students will be admitted into the UA academic degree program for which they initially applied.
- Students complete the remainder of their bachelor’s degree at UA.
Students who are admitted to the Shelton State Bridge Program are considered full-time students at SSCC and concurrent students at UA. Students admitted to this program will be concurrently enrolled at SSCC and UA with both institutions waiving any application fees.
Students are eligible to transition to UA provided the following requirements are met:
Completion of 24 transferable college credit hours at SSCC and 3 college credit hours at UA
A minimum 3.0 cumulative college GPA*
Good academic standing at both UA and SSCC
Adherence to any additional UA admission requirements
* If a student’s GPA falls below the required 3.0, they may continue attending SSCC and transfer to UA once they have accrued 24 college credit hours at SSCC and 3 college credit hours at UA, along with a 2.0 transferable GPA. Student GPAs are reviewed in the spring.
Tuition Rates and Scholarships
Courses taken at UA as part of this program will be billed at The University of Alabama tuition rate, and courses taken at Shelton State Community College will be billed at the SSCC tuition rate.
After completing the year of classes at SSCC, students approved to transfer to UA can compete for transfer scholarship consideration at the time of the student’s full-time enrollment at UA.
Benefits
While taking classes at SSCC, Shelton Bridge students have access to the following benefits at UA:
- UA Student Action Card and myBama email account. Once a student has an ACT card and is enrolled in at least one class, they are considered a UA student. However, they are not considered a full-time student because they are not taking the minimum credit hours to be classified as full-time.
- Bridge students can participate in most UA student organizations and activities. However, Bridge students cannot participate in Greek life.
- Limited on-campus housing may be assigned to students in Parham West or Parham East. On-campus housing at UA is not guaranteed; additional housing resources are available on the Off-Campus Housing website.
- Access to UA libraries.
- Access to Crimson Ride, UA’s transit system.
- Membership privileges for all UREC facilities (Student Recreation Center with Outdoor Pool Complex, Robert E. Witt Activity Center and the Aquatic Center).
- Entrance to non-ticketed athletic events that only require an activated Action Card. Football is the only event that requires a ticket in addition to your activated Action Card.
- Eligibility to purchase:
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