#72 in National Liberal Arts Colleges
Overview
Bard College is a private institution that was founded in 1860. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,171 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 1,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Bard College's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, #72. Its tuition and fees are $60,270.
Bard College’s setting is less like a typical campus than a vast village spread out across 500 acres of parks and woodland. Located in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., the secluded school is close to the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. Many students have views of the campus’s nearby scenery from their dorm rooms. First-year students must live in one of more than 40 residence halls and houses, on campus, some of which have “alcohol free,” “quiet” and “wellness” themes. For outdoor recreation, students can go horseback riding, canoeing, hiking and biking. There are nearly 100 clubs on campus, and students are welcome to start new organizations. There is no Greek system at Bard. About half of Bard students study abroad before graduation. There are tons of student volunteer options, including one that sends students to maximum- and medium-security jails throughout New York to tutor inmates. The Bard Raptors sports teams are members of the NCAA Division III Liberty League. Freshmen at Bard start college earlier than their peers at most other schools, arriving in early August for a three-week orientation to campus, academic and community life known as the Language and Thinking Program.
For day trips, New York City is 90 miles from campus and easily accessible by train. Students have several options for longer stays in the Big Apple, too. Through the Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science, students can enroll in an intensive semester of research and study at New York’s Rockefeller University. Students live at Rockefeller and work in the university’s laboratories. Students can spend also spend a semester or two in New York through the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, which pairs students with internships in international relations and human rights areas. In addition to its undergraduate offerings, Bard has unique graduate degree options such as a master’s of music in conducting through its Conservatory of Music and a doctorate of philosophy in decorative arts. Notable alumni of Bard College include journalist Matt Taibbi; actor Christopher Guest; and the founders of Steely Dan, musicians Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
Bard College is a private institution that was founded in 1860. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,171 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 1,000 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Bard College's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, #72. Its tuition and fees are $60,270.
Bard College’s setting is less like a typical campus than a vast village spread out across 500 acres of parks and woodland. Located in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., the secluded school is close to the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. Many students have views of the campus’s nearby scenery from their dorm rooms. First-year students must live in one of more than 40 residence halls and houses, on campus, some of which have “alcohol free,” “quiet” and “wellness” themes. For outdoor recreation, students can go horseback riding, canoeing, hiking and biking. There are nearly 100 clubs on campus, and students are welcome to start new organizations. There is no Greek system at Bard. About half of Bard students study abroad before graduation. There are tons of student volunteer options, including one that sends students to maximum- and medium-security jails throughout New York to tutor inmates. The Bard Raptors sports teams are members of the NCAA Division III Liberty League. Freshmen at Bard start college earlier than their peers at most other schools, arriving in early August for a three-week orientation to campus, academic and community life known as the Language and Thinking Program.
For day trips, New York City is 90 miles from campus and easily accessible by train. Students have several options for longer stays in the Big Apple, too. Through the Bard-Rockefeller Semester in Science, students can enroll in an intensive semester of research and study at New York’s Rockefeller University. Students live at Rockefeller and work in the university’s laboratories. Students can spend also spend a semester or two in New York through the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, which pairs students with internships in international relations and human rights areas. In addition to its undergraduate offerings, Bard has unique graduate degree options such as a master’s of music in conducting through its Conservatory of Music and a doctorate of philosophy in decorative arts. Notable alumni of Bard College include journalist Matt Taibbi; actor Christopher Guest; and the founders of Steely Dan, musicians Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
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At-a-Glance
Setting
N/A
Tuition & Fees
$60,270
Undergraduate Enrollment
2,171
Acceptance Rate
60%
2024 Rankings
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Admissions
Cost
Tuition & Fees
$60,270
Room & Board
$17,180(2022-23)
Average Need-Based Aid Package
N/A
$23,332
$23,332
Tuition & Fees
$60,270
Room & Board
$17,180(2022-23)
Average Need-Based Aid Package
N/A
*Average cost after aid
Academics
57%
9:1
N/A
* In cases where salary data at the specific major level is unavailable, a general salary for the major category is displayed.
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Students
2,171
Graduate Enrollment
420
Total Enrollment
2,591
Full-Time Degree-Seeking Students
1,938
Student Diversity
Gender Distribution
Ethnic Diversity
34%
Minority Enrollment
34%
Minority Enrollment
50%
White
13%
Hispanic
11%
Black
11%
International
7%
Two or more races
5%
Unknown
3%
Asian
Not Specified is not included in this breakdown due to an enrollment of 0%.
Campus Life
Housing and Dorms
Types of campus housing available:
Student Activities
41+
Sports Teams
N/A
Fraternities
N/A
Sororities
After College
Graduation Rate
57%
Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)
N/A
Average Debt at Graduation
N/A
$20,608
$20,608
Graduation Rate
57%
Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)
N/A
Average Debt at Graduation
N/A
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Reviews & Ratings
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Undergraduate data are based on the 2022 school year.
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