Bard College

Welcome to Bard
Founded in 1860, Bard is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The campus, a fusion of two historic riverfront estates, is located in the Hudson Valley. The College offers the bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in more than 40 academic programs in four divisions: Arts; Languages and Literature; Science, Mathematics, and Computing; and Social Studies. In addition, the Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a dual-degree program in which students earn both a bachelor’s degree in music and a B.A. in another field in the liberal arts or sciences.
Undergraduate Admission
Applicants are encouraged to pursue a strong program of study, which should include a full four-year sequence in English, social sciences, and mathematics; the study of at least one foreign language for three or preferably four years; and three to four years of study in the laboratory sciences. Admission Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours and interviews by appointment. See Bard on the Road to learn about a Bard representative’s visits to your area. Regular application deadline is January 1, notification by April 1; transfer deadline: fall semester, March 15, notification in May; spring semester, November 1, notification in January; Immediate Decision Plan offered on selected dates.
Enrollment Profile
Approximately 2,000 undergraduates study at the Annandale campus; 52 percent female, 48 percent male, usually representing 50 states. Seventy percent of students are from out of state. Eighty percent of students live on campus. Four percent of students are African American, 4 percent Asian, 5 percent Hispanic, and 14 percent international (representing 67 countries worldwide). Countries represented include Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Denmark, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. The typical undergraduate class has 17 students.
Faculty
The faculty-to-student ratio is 1:9 and courses are taught by full faculty members. Among the many distinguished faculty at Bard College are five MacArthur Fellows—poets John Ashbery and Ann Lauterbach, novelist and memoirist Norman Manea, painter and multimedia artist Judy Pfaff, and journalist Mark Danner. Other notable faculty members include soprano Dawn Upshaw, journalist Ian Buruma, theatrical director JoAnne Akalaitas, composers Joan Tower and George Tsontakis, poet Robert Kelly, and writers Luc Sante and Francine Prose. Over the years, four recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature have taught at Bard—Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, José Saramago, and Orhan Pamuk. Click here to see a full list of Bard Faculty.
Cost and Financial Aid
Bard is need blind. Financial need is determined annually by the U.S. Department of Education, the College Scholarship Service of the College Board, and Bard College. Domestic and international students are eligible, based on need and merit, for Bard scholarships and loans. Approximately two-thirds of Bard students receive financial aid. Among the financial aid and special scholarship programs available to them are theExcellence and Equal Cost Program (EEC), for public high school seniors whose cumulative GPA is among the top 10 in their graduating class; Distinguished Scientist Scholars Program (DSS), four-year scholarships, up to full tuition, for students who are committed to majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, or mathematics;New Generations Scholarships, awarded on the basis of merit to students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, and a commitment to excellence, and whose mother and father were born abroad and emigrated to the United states not more than 20 years ago; and Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), which offers support services to meet the needs of New York State students who are economically and academically disadvantaged. For additional financial aid information, visit the Financial Aidwebsite.
Graduate Programs
Bard offers the following graduate degrees: master of fine arts; master of arts in curatorial studies; master of arts and doctor of philosophy in the history of the decorative arts, design, and culture; master of science in environmental policy; master of arts in teaching; master of business administration in sustainability; master of music in vocal arts and in conducting; and master of business administration in sustainability. Bard also offers two dual degree programs: a bachelor of arts and a master of science through the Bard Center for Environmental Policy (BCEP), and through BCEP and the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, master of science and master of arts in teaching degrees.

The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Bard’s campus is a center from which students can explore the rich natural and cultural life of the Hudson Valley. Within a half-hour’s drive of the campus are many of the great Hudson Valley mansions and historic sites.
The Bard Music Festival is presented on campus each summer over two consecutive weekends in August and over a subsequent weekend in October. Each year, the critically acclaimed festival explores the life and work of a single composer through chamber music, choral and orchestral performances, symposia, panel discussions, and preconcert talks. Since 2003 the festival has been part ofBard SummerScape, which annually presents operas, films, and theatrical productions that complement the festival’s theme.

Students often gather on the steps of the Franklin W. Olin Humanities Building before and after classes