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Important Financial Aid Dates

January 31, 2013 - Early Applicant Deadline for Financial Aid

FAFSA due for U.S. Citizens
International Financial Aid Application and Certificate of Finances due for international applicants

March 15, 2013 - Regular Applicant Deadline for Financial Aid

FAFSA due for U.S. Citizens
International Finanicial Aid Application and Certificate of Finances due for international applicants

May 1, 2013 - Deadline for Second Year Students to Apply for Financial Aid

FAFSA and International FA Application/Cert. of Fin. due for second year students
CEP Fellowships and Internship Funding are available to second year students.

May 15, 2013 - Final Deadline for Financial Aid Please note: Fellowships and campus employment, if still available, will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis after the March 15th deadline.

Deadline for Rachel Carson and Wangari Maathai Scholars Program Application
FAFSA due for U.S. Citizens
International Finanicial Aid Application and Certificate of Finances due for international applicants

Program Downloads

Financial Aid

Bard CEP also offers financial assistance in the form of fellowships, project assistantships, campus employment, and student loans. Financial aid is awarded each year on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, and available funding. Awards are made without regard to sex, sexual orientation, race, color, age, marital status, religion, ethnic or national origin, or handicapping conditions. Financial aid awards are not automatically renewed, students must reapply according to the deadline below.

Fellowships and Other Assistance

CEP Fellowships
The Graduate Committee awards fellowships to all 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 full-time students and may be given in combination with other scholarships, campus employment, assistantships, and federal loans. Students applying to one of our masters programs will automatically be considered for a CEP Fellowship by indicating their interest on their application for admission. Completion of a FAFSA or International Financial Aid Application is required to qualify. These fellowships are reviewed annually, and second year students must reapply by the date indicated above. CEP’s goal in the second year is to maintain each student’s financial award as a percentage of total tuition, subject to academic performance, and availability of scholarship funds. This percentage is based on fellowship awards, not work study, internship scholarships, or other income awarded in the first year.
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; assisting certain faculty with research projects; and working with Bard’s Office of Sustainability to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. These campus employment positions provide invaluable opportunities for growth and professional development. Students who are offered a PA are not required to take it. Students applying to one of our masters programs will be considered for a PA position by indicating their interest on the application for admission to the program. Completion of a FAFSA is also required to qualify.
Rachel Carson Scholarship (NEW)
Students are eligible to apply for a merit scholarship as part of the Rachel Carson Scholars program. This new program will grant one $20,000 scholarship per year to an incoming student who shows promise of a leadership career in environmental policy. Interested students should email a statement of no more than 500 words to cep@bard.edu on the following: Please define and explain leadership in the context of the sustainability challenges we face in the coming decades. Finalists will be reviewed based on this statement and their application materials, and will be interviewed by the selection committee. Applicants must be accepted to the Bard CEP masters program and have completed a FAFSA in order to qualify. Please apply by May 15. The scholarship recipient will be notified on June 1st.
Wangari Maathai Scholarship (NEW)

Funding is available for one outstanding international student as part of the Wangari Maathai Scholars program. This new program will grant one $20,000 scholarship per year to an incoming student who shows promise of a leadership career in environmental policy. Interested students should email a statement of no more than 500 words to cep@bard.edu on the following: Please define and explain leadership in the context of the sustainability challenges we face in the coming decades. Finalists will be reviewed based on this statement and their application materials, and will be interviewed by the selection committee. Applicants must be accepted to the Bard CEP masters program and have completed a international financial aid application, including a certificate of finances, in order to qualify. Applications are due by May 15. The scholarship recipient will be notified on June 1st.
Environmental Consortium Scholarships
Incoming students are eligible to apply for funding through the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities. There are two scholarships available, and the deadline for both is April 2, 2012. Click here for details.
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 up to $4000 internship stipends to three or four students each year. Preference is given to students applying for internships overseas or in a low-income community. Interested CEP students should apply for this award at the deadline announced, and if selected will be awarded funding 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.
Peace Corps Fellowships
As part of the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, Bard CEP provides partial tuition fellowships in the first year worth at least 33 percent of tuition to returned Peace Corps volunteers admitted to the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. Applicants must provide verification of Peace Corps service by submitting a signed copy of their Description of Service to receive this fellowship. Master’s International students, who have successfully completed their term overseas, and Peace Corps Fellows are eligible for a fellowship of $10,500 in the second year.
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.
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.
C2C Fellowship
All C2C Fellows are eligible for partial scholarships to attend Bard’s graduate programs. This scholarhip guarantees a minimum financial aid award of $8000 in the first year to members of the C2C Fellows Network.
C2C Scholar
One member of the C2C Fellows Network is chosen each year as a C2C Scholar. This outstanding member of our network is awarded the C2C Program Assistant Position in addition to the fellowship mentioned above. This opportunity allows the recipient to carry on the mission of the network to future cohorts of C2C Fellows and play an integral role in shaping the network as we move forward.

Student Loans

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 programs. 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.

Applying for Financial Aid, Loans, or Fellowships

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 fellowship and internship funding 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 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. Please indicate to them that you are inquiring about this as a graduate student.

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 for download here. More information for international applicants can be found online here or by request from the Bard College Office of Financial Aid (845-758-7526).