Campus Housing, Dining, and Facilities

The campus contains more than 70 buildings of varied architectural styles,

from 19th-century stone houses and riverfront mansions to structures designed by noted contemporary architects. Most of the College's facilities are clustered at the center of campus: Kline Commons, with its main student dining hall and meeting places for students and faculty; classrooms; libraries; the computer centers; science labs; art studios; and the gymnasium. The Bertelsmann Campus Center provides a spacious setting for social and intellectual exchange among members of the Bard community. Several residence halls are located in the central campus area, while others are within easy walking or bicycling distance. A free shuttle provides regular service between the campus and the neighboring towns of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Tivoli.

Residence Life

The Bard campus offers more than 40 student residences that embrace a wide range of architectural characteristics, social styles, and sizes. All have Internet access, social rooms, kitchens, and laundries, and many boast beautiful views of the Catskill Mountains to the west. Most residence halls are coed, and roughly one-third of the rooms are singles. All first-year and sophomore Bard students are guaranteed housing; transfer students are not, although they may request on-campus housing.

Campus Dining

Students who live on campus, as most do, take the meal plan, which offers flexible menus (including vegetarian, vegan, and limited kosher and halal selections) and extended meal times in the campus dining commons.
  • Kline Commons, the main dining facility, contains a large dining room, smaller alcove dining rooms, meeting rooms, and a faculty dining area.
  • Also located in Kline is the Green Onion Grocer, which serves as the campus market.
  • The Down the Road Café is centrally located in the Bertelsmann Campus Center.
  • The Manor House Café is steps away from the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and features two dining rooms with views of the Catskill Mountains and an outdoor dining terrace.
  • The Bard meal card is also legal tender in the two cafés on campus and at the Green Onion, a campus grocery store.