Bard College

Bard College is a 1000-acre private school for the public good located in Annandale-on-Hudson in New York. Bard is truly a unique place! One huge way that Bard is different from other schools is through their application process. Students can use the common app. Or, students can take the Bard Entrance Exam where they answer three essay questions. That’s it. No common app. Or, students can take part in the Immediate Decision Plan. Students participate in a day-long event beginning with a seminar-style workshop followed by an interview. Students will find out within twenty-four hours if they gained admission to Bard. They are one of the pioneers of test optional admissions as they have been test optional for 50 years! Speaking to the New York Times about their entrance exam, the college’s president said, “It’s kind of declaring war on the whole rigmarole of college admissions and the failure to foreground the curriculum and learning.”

Bard is home to 1800 students and is located about 90 miles north of New York City. Classes are small; 95% have fewer than 25 students. The typical class has 16 students, and the student to teacher ratio is 10 to 1. Classes are discussion based, and the curriculum is very flexible. All new students take an intensive intro to liberal arts and sciences, there is also a First-Year Seminar, and an innovative Citizen Science course. Bard is ranked #60 in National Liberal Arts Colleges by the U.S. News and World Report. Bard is a division three school when it comes to athletics and offers numerous clubs and activities for students to get involved with.

Bard has a park-like campus on the east shower of the Hudson River with sunsets over the Catskill Mountains. They have adirondack chairs all set up for students to enjoy the views.

Bard does not give any merit-based aid (which is what most schools now call “scholarships”). The only financial aid they give is need-based because they want to use their funds to support students who could not afford to attend without the school’s support. The annual cost of attendance is about $80,000. Students are eligible for need-based aid by filling out the FAFSA. More than two-thirds of Bard students do receive need-based aid with the average award being $48,000 per year. They do make every effort to meet full need for highly ranked applicants. Go, Raptors!