The Transitional Year Program (TYP) at Brandeis was founded in 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This tragic event compelled members of the faculty to find a means for renewing the University's commitment to social justice. Recognizing Brandeis as a University with a commitment to academic excellence, these faculty members thought it only right to extend the opportunity to participate in an empowering educational experience to students from communities that offered limited educational options.

At the time, Brandeis was already running a summer Upward Bound program that provided fundamental support to eligible participants in their preparation for college entrance. With the consideration that Upward Bound was one of the most successful educational intervention strategies at the time, the faculty designed their new initiative with it in mind.

They incorporated many of the components found in Upward Bound, such as providing instruction in math, laboratory science, composition, literature, and foreign language. They further recognized that academic development for students through the secondary level is provided in year-long modules, and therefore they began to provide a year-long transitional period for students, rather than just the commitment of a summer.

Forty years later, the university's commitment to the program remains the same: to provide intelligent and talented students, who previously have not had access, life-changing opportunities to explore new possibilities and participate in Brandeis's collective pursuit of knowledge.