Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard is an independent, four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences that inspires a love of learning and a commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation. Academic disciplines are interconnected through multidisciplinary programs and Bard's approach to learning focuses on the individual through small group seminars. Bard College has an extensive international network, which provides Bard students with opportunities to study abroad and connect with Bardians worldwide. Faculty are active in their fields and stress the connection between learning and engagement outside the classroom. Bard graduates succeed in the workplace and graduate school.
Accepts first-year applicationsMid-AtlanticPrivateRuralSmall (2,000 and under)Co-Ed
Academic programs
- Engineering
- Research
- Science
- Technology
- Liberal Arts
- Music
- Art & Design
- Economics
- Government/Political Science
- Health Science
- Performing Arts
- Social Science
- Visual Arts
Student experience
- Athletics
- Co-op/Internship Opportunities
- Disability Services
- Intramural/Club Sports
- LGBTQIA Services
- On-Campus Housing
- Study Abroad
- Undergraduate Research
Application information
First-year
There is no fee to apply to Bard College and SAT and ACT scores are not required. Students may apply via Early Action, Early Decision, Immediate Decision Plan (November 1 deadline), or Regular Decision (January 15 deadline). Applications require: two academic recommendations, transcript, guidance counselor recommendation and school report. International students must submit financial aid documents with their application if applying for financial aid. Students for whom English is a second language who do not attend an English-medium school must submit an English Proficiency Test Score.
Transfer
There is no fee to apply to Bard College and SAT and ACT scores are not required. A transfer student is one who has matriculated into a degree program at an accredited higher education institution and completed at least one semester. Applications require: college report, transcript, and faculty recommendations. Spring transfers apply by November 1 and fall transfers by March 1. International students must submit financial aid documents with their application if applying for financial aid. Students for whom English is a second language who do not attend an English-medium school must submit an English Proficiency Test Score.
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Additional information
Need-based financial aid and scholarships are available. Both the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms are required by Bard College. DACA and Undocumented students may complete the CSS Profile. Students applying through Early Decision, Early Action, or The Immediate Decision Plan (November 1 deadline) must submit these financial aid documents by December 1. Students applying through Regular Decision (January 1 deadline) must submit these financial aid documents by February 1. Click here for dates and deadlines.
International students applying for need-based financial aid must upload a completed International Student Financial Aid Application Form with their application for admission.
International students applying for need-based financial aid must upload a completed International Student Financial Aid Application Form with their application for admission.
Visit us
Students and their families may visit Bard's campus via in-person walking tours, self-driven audio tours, and live virtual tours. All tours begin with an introduction by a counselor and are led by Bard students. We encourage all in-person visitors to complete a self-driven audio tour as well because Bard’s campus covers approximately 1,000 acres and there is more to see after the walking tour such as Blithewood, the Performing Arts Center, and the Bard Farm. Images of these places are included in the live virtual tours followed by a Bard student walking the tour route with their mobile device.
At Bard, we show up. We build, paint, dig, teach, play, sing, sweat. We show up in the middle of the night, work in the rain, crawl under the car, whatever it takes. This does not mean erasing the self. It means struggling with the tension between self and collective interests, and then acting compassionately.