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College

Bard College

#56 in Best Colleges for Art in America
  • B+
    Overall Grade
  • 4 Year
  • Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
  • 527 reviews
B+
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Academics
    A
  2. Value
    B+
  3. Diversity
    A
  4. Campus
    D
  5. Athletics
    C+
  6. Party Scene
    C+
  7. Professors
    A
  8. Location
    C
  9. Dorms
    D-
  10. Campus Food
    C-
  11. Student Life
    C
  12. Safety
    B-
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Bard is an above-average private college located in Red Hook, New York. It is a small institution with an enrollment of 1,897 undergraduate students. Admissions is fairly competitive as the Bard acceptance rate is 56%. Popular majors include Social Science Research Methods, Studio Arts, and English. Graduating 78% of students, Bard alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $25,500.
About Bard College...
Athletic Division
NCAA Division III (without football)
Athletic Conference
Liberty League
Address
Annandale Road
Annandale-On-Hudson, NY 12504
Website
bard.edu
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Bard College Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
56%
Application Deadline
—
SAT Range
—
ACT Range
—
Application Fee
$50
SAT/ACT
Neither required nor recommended
High School GPA
Recommended
Early Decision/Early Action
—

Test Prep

SAT and ACT Prep Options
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Cost

Net Price
$29,356/ year
National
$15,523
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $21,568/ year
  • $30-48k
    $19,159/ year
  • $49-75k
    $29,038/ year
  • $76-110k
    $31,685/ year
  • $110k+
    $43,829/ year
Student Loan Options from Lenders
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  • Rates starting at 4.06% APR + 1% Cash Back
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Academics

Professors
A
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
10:1
Evening Degree Programs
No
86%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.42 responses
46%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.48 responses
54%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.48 responses
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Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Social Science Research Methods
    155 Graduates
  • Studio Arts
    125 Graduates
  • English
    97 Graduates
  • Natural Sciences
    69 Graduates
  • Music Performance
    11 Graduates
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities
    2 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
1,897Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
1%
Pell Grant
21%
Varsity Athletes
13%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
Based on 27 responses
Report
  • Smart
    30%
  • Hipster/opinionated
    19%
  • Individual
    19%
  • Intelligent grundgy artsy
    19%
  • Pretentious
    11%
  • Self-absorbed but sometimes well-meaning
    4%

Campus Life

Freshmen Live On-Campus
100%
Poll
100%
of students say they don't have Greek life.29 responses
Poll
67%
of students say no one pays attention to varsity sports.57 responses
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes your school?
Based on 25 responses
Report
  • Liberal
    32%
  • Expensive.
    16%
  • Hipster
    16%
  • Cigs
    8%
  • Eccentric
    8%
  • Underrated
    8%
  • Hell
    4%

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$35,900/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
78%
National
49%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
88%
National
83%
57%
of students feel confident they will find a job in their field after graduation.21 responses
Colleges like Bard College
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Bard College Reviews

527 reviews
All Categories
I loved Bard! In fact, I ended up marrying another Bard grad and most of my best friends are the ones with whom I bonded at the very start of my freshman year. I'm also very involved in alumni events because I miss the school so much. It really is a wonderful college with incredible professors, a beautiful campus (and surrounding area), and a brilliant, creative and unique student body. My sister now goes to Bard and loves it too.
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Small and great college. Elite in its own right and attracts intellectual and artistic types. Benefits from and contributes to New York City culture in art, literature, social science. Bard Fiction Prize annually awards $30,000 and semester-long residence to acclaimed, up-and-coming young novelists. Large, beautiful campus. Eclectic architecture. It's also a college in the service of humanity, as it has satellite programs all over the world, like the Bard Prison Initiative, Bard Early Colleges, and college programs in underserved regions in the world.
Bard is a small liberal arts school in Annandale on Hudson. The campus is on the Hudson river, and is surrounded by woods. In the spring, it is a beautiful area, but can be freezing and ugly in the winter. It can be very isolating because there are no towns within walking distance. A shuttle runs between the two nearby towns, Red Hook and Tivoli. The latter has one small store, a bar, and a few restaurants. Classes are usually small, from 25 students down to as little as 3 or 4 as they get more specific. Some professors are great, passionate about teaching, and knowledgeable, and some are lazy and barely teach, requiring students to do presentations for half of the class time.