Financial Aid

General Information

Financial assistance, whether in the form of loans or fellowships, is not automatically renewed each year. Students must reapply during their first year at Bard to be considered for any form of financial assistance in the second year. Second-year financial aid awards reflect financial need and availability of program funds. Second-year fellowships are generally the same percentage of tuition as the first-year fellowships; however, good academic standing and the availability of program funds is taken into account.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to research external sources of funding and to apply for scholarships and grants that will support the tuition costs and living expenses of the program, including the internship and master’s thesis research. Many states sponsor loan programs. Commercial banks also offer private loans for students. Grant monies are available from a number of national organizations and private corporations that support education at the graduate level. International applicants are encouraged to seek support for educational expenses from their governments, foundations, or private agencies. External awards can be held concurrently with a Bard CEP fellowship award.

Applying for Financial Aid (U.S. Citizens)

All incoming and returning students who are U.S. citizens seeking financial aid should complete the FAFSA form, available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, or by request from the Bard College Office of Financial Aid (845-758-7526). For incoming students, the FAFSA should be submitted by the admission deadline that applies to you (e.g., if you apply by the January 15 deadline, you should also submit your FAFSA by January 15). Students in default of a federal student loan or owing a refund on a federal grant are not eligible for federal financial aid. Financial assistance is not automatically renewed for the second year of the program. Second-year Bard CEP students wishing to reapply for financial aid must submit a FAFSA by May 1 in order to be considered for any form of financial assistance in their second year. For questions regarding financial aid and student loans, please visit the Bard College Office of Financial Aid online at www.bard.edu/financialaid.

Applying for Financial Aid (Non-U.S. Citizens)

International applicants are not eligible for financial assistance from the U.S. government, but may qualify for other sources of aid, including Bard CEP fellowships, assistantships, and campus employment. International applicants seeking financial aid should fill out the International Student Financial Aid Application and Certification of Finances, both available online at www.bard.edu/financialaid/international or by request from the Bard College Office of Financial Aid (845-758-7526).

CEP Merit Fellowships The Graduate Committee awards fellowships to students who show uncommon promise and commitment to graduate studies in the fields of environmental policy and climate science and policy. These fellowship awards are given to incoming and returning full-time students and may be given in combination with campus employment, assistantships, federal loans, and the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). More than 90 percent of Bard CEP students receive fellowship awards. Fellowships are reviewed yearly and are not renewed automatically.

Project Assistantships (PA) A limited number of project assistantships are available each year, and are awarded in incoming students on a competitive basis. Applicants are notified if they are being considered for a PA during the admission process. Most projects are environmentally focused, require between 5-10 hours per week, and come with a small stipend. Previous projects have included working with Director Goodstein on organizing climate dialogues with experts, political leaders, and student groups nationwide; on-farm apprenticing, research, and curriculum-design with Professor Phillips; and working with Bard’s Office of Sustainability to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. These PA positions provide invaluable opportunities for growth and professional development. Students who are offered a PA are not required to take it.

M.A.C. Internship Awards Thanks to the generous support of the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, the Bard Center for Environmental Policy is able to offer $4000 to $6000 internship stipends to three or four students each year. Interested CEP students should apply for this award in the spring or summer of their first year, after submitting their internship agreement form.

Bard-AmeriCorps Fellowship Awarded to one or more exceptional AmeriCorps volunteers who have successfully completed their term of service, this fellowship assists public service–oriented individuals in continuing their work as professionals in environment-related fields through advanced educational training in the Bard CEP graduate program. To qualify, applicants must submit a description of service with application for admission, and if selected, Bard CEP will match any AmeriCorps Segal Award funds that the student wishes to apply towards Bard’s tuition.

City Year “Give-A-Year” Fellowships The Bard Center for Environmental Policy recognizes the important service preformed by City Year corps members and is very proud to form a partnership with this civic organization. City Year alumni who have completed at least one year of service are eligible to receive this fellowship worth 30 percent of tuition in addition to an application fee waiver. Interested applicants must submit a letter verifying City Year affiliation to the Bard Center for Environmental Policy Office of Graduate Admissions along with their application.

Peace Corps Fellowships As part of the Paul D. Coverdale Fellows Program, Bard CEP provides partial tuition fellowships, worth 33 percent of tuition, to returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs) admitted to the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. Fellows accepted into the graduate program are also eligible for a 10-credit tuition fee waiver in recognition of their volunteer work overseas. Applicants who provide verification of Peace Corps service by submitting a signed copy of their Description of Service will receive an application fee waiver as well. Master’s International students accepted to the Bard CEP graduate program are eligible for a 10-credit tuition fee waiver in recognition of their volunteer work overseas.

Nancy Mathews ’64 Internship Fund This fund offers assistance to a student who accepts an unpaid internship in the nonprofit or public sector. Priority is given to applicants for an internship in the greater Hudson Valley who have demonstrated efforts to secure external funding for the internship. The fund honors the memory of Bard graduate Nancy Mathews, a lifelong environmentalist with deep roots in Upstate New York and the Hudson Valley. A naturalist and enthusiastic birder, she approached environmental problems with careful research, attention to the many dimensions of an issue, and an infectious sense of excitement. A major contributor to the fund is the Lawson Valentine Foundation, in support of students accepting unpaid internships in the nonprofit sector.

Alumni/ae Internship Fund This fund supports unpaid student internships during the second year. Recipients are chosen based on their internship placements and the potential of their work to have a significant effect on public policy.

Milners Fund Fellowship The Milners Fund Fellowship in Population Studies is awarded each year to a student who demonstrates outstanding ability and serious commitment to the study of the environment and related aspects of human population growth and demographic dynamics.

Federal Direct Loan

Students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and who file a FAFSA are eligible to borrow through the Federal Direct Loan program, which provides subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Eligible students may borrow up to $8,500 annually through a Federal Direct Loan. Eligible graduate students may also take out a supplemental, unsubsidized direct loan of up to $10,000 annually in addition to the basic subsidized or unsubsidized direct loan awarded, provided the total amount of assistance does not exceed the graduate program’s annual cost.

The loan is subsidized when the student demonstrates financial need according to a federal formula that ascertains the difference between the budgeted educational expenses and the student’s financial strength. In those cases, the federal government pays the interest on the loan while the student is enrolled in school; repayment of the loan principal and remaining interest begins six months after the student ceases to be enrolled on at least a half-time basis.

An unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan does not require demonstration of financial need. The student begins paying interest charges on the loan while enrolled in school; repayment on the loan principal begins six months after the student ceases to be enrolled at least half-time.

Loans are disbursed in two equal payments, one each semester, provided all Bard Financial Aid Office requirements have been fulfilled. Electronic disbursements are credited to the student’s account when they are received. Check disbursements are sent to the Student Accounts Office; the student must sign the loan check before it can be credited to his or her account. If the check is not signed within a designated period, the Student Accounts Office is obliged to return it to the lender for cancellation. In such a case, the student becomes responsible for the entire account balance and is charged a $100 penalty fee for late payment and duplication of the loan-disbursement procedure. For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Federal GradPLUS

Loans Graduate students can now access the Federal PLUS Loan Program to pay for the cost of education not covered by other financial aid. This loan is guaranteed by the federal government and may be deferred while the student is enrolled at least part-time. A credit check is required. These loans are disbursed in the same way as the Federal Direct Loan.