Bard by the Numbers
Founded in 1860, Bard is an independent, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences.
Undergraduates at the Annandale campus come from all regions of the country. Over 12 percent of the student body is international, representing more than 40 countries. Undergraduates share the campus with the students and faculty of a conservatory of music and several graduate programs, which present lectures, concerts, and exhibitions that are open to the entire College community. Affiliated programs and research centers, such as the Levy Economics Institute, Hessel Museum of Art, Bard Field Station, and Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities, also enrich student life.
Undergraduate Programs
From human rights to physics and studio arts to experimental humanities, Bard students construct individualized educational programs with faculty who are at the top of their fields.
- Study in four divisions—Arts; Languages and Literature; Science, Mathematics, and Computing; and Social Studies
- Engage in both traditional and interdisciplinary academic endeavors—explore interdivisional programs and concentrations
- Take advantage of dual-degree programs, study abroad, and career-oriented internships
Our Mission
Bard College seeks to inspire curiosity, a love of learning, idealism, and a commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation. The undergraduate curriculum is designed to address central, enduring questions facing succeeding generations of students. Academic disciplines are interconnected through multidisciplinary programs; a balance in the curriculum is sought between general education and individual specialization. Students pursue a rigorous course of study reflecting diverse traditions of scholarship, research, speculation, and artistic expression. They engage philosophies of human existence, theories of human behavior and society, the making of art, and the study of the humanities, science, nature, and history.
Outstanding Faculty
Bard's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1 and courses are taught by full faculty members. Among the many distinguished faculty at Bard College are nine MacArthur Fellows: poet Ann Lauterbach; artists Jeffrey Gibson, An-My Lê, and Judy Pfaff; journalist Mark Danner; filmmaker Charles Burnett; and novelists Valeria Luiselli, Norman Manea (emeritus), and Dinaw Mengestu. Other notable faculty members include journalist Ian Buruma, composers Joan Tower and George Tsontakis, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, poet Robert Kelly (emeritus), and writers Lucy Sante and Francine Prose. In recent years, Nobel laureates Orhan Pamuk, José Saramago, and Mario Vargas Llosa have all taught at Bard.
Campus Life
Campus life in Annandale is vibrant, with world-class performing arts venues; continuous and varied student activities; and numerous cultural and recreational opportunities in the surrounding historic Hudson River Valley and in New York City. Students choose from more than 150 active clubs on campus, and new clubs begin every semester. The Bard College athletic teams are the Raptors. The College’s colors are red and white. The critically acclaimed Bard Music Festival is presented on campus each summer, exploring the life and work of a single composer.
Our Campuses
Bard’s historic main campus is located along the Hudson River in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. This rural setting is home to Bard’s undergraduate program and many Bard institutes. But the College’s initiatives reach far beyond Annandale. Campuses in New York City, Boston, California, and Germany bring Bard’s mission to the world. From urban settings to rural, from programs at small institutes to large universities, Bard is a global institution for the 21st century.
The Bard Network
Approximately 1,800 undergraduates study in Annandale and more than 600 graduate students study in Bard programs, plus nearly 1,200 students in our early colleges and 2,500 at Bard’s global affiliates. Total enrollment for the Bard Network is now close to 6,000 students.
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