The Clarkson School is an opportunity for talented secondary school juniors to begin university study a year early. Upon completion of the one-year program students are admitted with advanced standing to Clarkson and other outstanding universities.

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You will not be limited to enrollment in overview introductory courses. As integral members of Clarkson’s first year student class, you will be engaged in coursework that exceeds the parameters of conventional high school curriculums or general education credits. After all, we believe education should prepare you for the way the world actually works. You can’t launch your own business or build a solar-electric car in an AP course.  You will gain significant skills that you can later apply in your progressive areas of study and in defining your career goals.

Guided by experienced advisors and the Head of School, you will chart your own individualized course of study. You can select a major(s) from the School of Business, the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering, the School of Arts and Sciences, the unique Engineering & Management (E&M) program or University Studies. We believe that it is essential to offer a curriculum that emphasizes increased proficiency with relevant technological skills, effective communication of ideas in both the written and spoken word, and the building and refining of analytical reasoning powers. Clarkson School students are encouraged to sample a wide variety of courses as they investigate prospective majors and explore career possibilities throughout their year.

A typical selection of courses would include: one or two laboratory sciences, two interdisciplinary writing courses, a mathematics course based on a placement examination, a computer course, a social science course, and at least one course relevant to the student's educational direction. A course usually meets two or three times per week in lecture and discussion sections. The Clarkson School and Clarkson University are on a semester system with the first semester ending in mid-December and the second semester ends in early May. For students applying to other colleges/universities beyond the Bridging Year, grade reports are sent at the end of the first semester by The Clarkson School Office.

All courses throughout the early college program are taken with Clarkson University students and are taught by Clarkson University faculty. The faculty consist of 190 members. Over 91% hold Ph.D. degrees. Faculty working with Clarkson School students are requested to provide written evaluations about each student's attendance, class participation, work habits, and intellectual abilities as evaluated through examinations, writing, and class participation.