BY ERIN SILVER
If you’re thinking of studying in Bermuda, consider a postsecondary programme or degree at Bermuda College. Bermuda College is uniquely invested in the success of Bermudian students and in ensuring they receive a world-class education without the world-class price tag.
“Bermuda College’s faculty and staff always prioritise Bermudian needs with more care, diligence and urgency than any other similar institution on earth,” explains the college’s recruitment officer Thaao Dill. “Put another way, we look after Bermudian students better than our counterparts overseas, every time.”
It’s hard to deny Bermuda College’s clear value for students. The college has accreditation and broad transfer options throughout North America, the UK and the Caribbean. It also has specific partnerships with nearly 40 universities worldwide and a diverse range of programmes. Small class sizes and inexpensive tuition – costing between three and seven times less than the overseas alternatives – make it a great place to get a postsecondary education.
Their programme offerings are also unlike programmes you would see elsewhere. “Our new allied health programmes, including our diagnostic imaging tech pathway, pre-med and pre-health science degrees, are purposely built to make healthcare careers more immediately accessible for Bermudian students, with the necessary clinical and technological components to make the theoretical and practical training world standard,” says Mr Dill.
There’s always money on the table to help students focus on their studies, rather than how to get it paid for.
The associate of science in marine science degree is also uniquely valuable, since the class-by-class content and instructional experience draws on Bermuda’s natural ocean environment in a way that’s inaccessible to most other universities around the world.
Mr Dill adds: “Bermuda College’s PACE Division also offers a range of short courses — the certificate for nursing assistants, certificate in horticulture and the association for chartered certified accountants introductory diploma in particular — that provide the training necessary to successfully apply for and earn employment in less than a year’s worth of night classes.”
Many people have been inquiring about increased admission levels as a result of the pandemic. Mr Dill reports that student numbers have largely remained steady during Covid-19. Students uncomfortable with the exclusively online experience caused by the pandemic public health protocols have left to attend other educational institutions in different parts of the world. In terms of numbers, those students who left have been largely offset by those who used Bermuda College to maintain their degree progress while international travel was taken off the table due to travel restrictions or the difficulty of being overseas during the health crisis.
Even with tuition fees that are significantly lower than students would find at other educational institutions, there are many scholarship opportunities available for Bermudian students. “Every Bermudian student is eligible for the standard Bermuda College financial support, which typically covers about half of their semester-by-semester tuition,” says Mr Dill. For many students, this means their full-time tuition costs are less than $3,000 per year.
“We’re also grateful participants in the government’s College Promise programme, where public high school graduates with a GPA of 3.0 and above are eligible for tuition-free study. Combine these opportunities with the annual government grant and the collection of in-house scholarships connected with specific areas of study and there’s always money on the table to help students focus on their studies, rather than how to get it paid for.”
The application process for admission is simple. Though all information can be found online, in short, the application consists of one three-page document, proof of citizenship, prior transcripts, a $50 application fee and, when required, a maths and English assessment test. Deadlines are June 1 and November 1 for the autumn and spring semesters, but students can register for individual classes right into the first week that those classes start. Scholarship deadlines and application processes, on the other hand, are often specific to themselves. Relevant information is available at www.college.bm.
“College.bm is the best place to start to learn more, but anyone can reach out to me directly and I’ll do everything I can to support them through their process into Bermuda College,” says Mr Dill. He can be reached at [email protected], 239- 4099 or 705-6677.
Mr Dill has one more thing to add: “It’s important to emphasise that everyone at Bermuda College wants our students to succeed.”
For many students, that success includes overseas study. “We’re grateful to play a meaningful part in that process. Our tuition is low enough that students are able to use the money saved on the first half of their undergraduate degree to cover their master’s degree. Also, our faculty and staff are invested enough to produce students who are measurably less likely to return from overseas study prematurely due to their academic capability and independent agency. Put simply, if our students are doing well, then our country is doing well.”
If one thing is clear, it’s that Bermuda College is excited and grateful to help make things better in Bermuda by supporting its students on their individual pathway to success.
