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About Bard College

Building on a 160-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College’s mission has expanded across the country, around the world, and to meet broader student needs
Now, 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. The undergraduate program at our main campus in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York retains a reputation for scholarly excellence and civic engagement. We are committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders.
Bard by the Numbers

Bard by the Numbers

Founded in 1860, Bard is an independent, residential, coeducational, four-year college of the liberal arts and sciences.

  • 1,800
    undergraduates
  • 267
    faculty
  • 9:1
    student-to-
    faculty ratio
  • 17%
    international /
    dual citizens
Undergraduate Programs
Dancer and choreographer Quilan "Cue" Arnold leads a workshop with Bard students. Photo by Karl Rabe

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
James Romm, James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics. Photo by Scott Barrow

Outstanding Faculty

Bard's undergraduate faculty-to-student ratio is 1:9 and courses are taught by full faculty members. Among the many distinguished faculty at Bard College are four MacArthur Fellows—poet Ann Lauterbach, novelist and memoirist Norman Manea, painter and multimedia artist Judy Pfaff, and journalist Mark Danner. Other notable faculty members include soprano Dawn Upshaw, journalist Ian Buruma, composers Joan Tower and George Tsontakis, poet Robert Kelly, and writers Lucy Sante and Francine Prose. Over the years, four recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature have taught at Bard—Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, José Saramago, and Orhan Pamuk.

More about Our Faculty

Campus Life

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 100 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

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

  • International Degrees
    Internationally, Bard confers dual B.A. degrees at American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan and Bard College Berlin, as well as dual B.A. and M.A.T. degrees at Al-Quds University in the West Bank.
  • Graduate Degrees
    Bard offers 15 graduate programs at distinct U.S. and international centers. Each graduate program has an interdisciplinary focus and draws upon the expertise of select core faculty and renowned visiting scholars, artists, and specialists to create a dynamic, rigorous learning environment.
  • Early Colleges
    Bard’s early colleges educate the next generation of thought leaders, preparing them to be lifetime learners. Early Colleges from New York City to Baltimore all serve the needs of highly motivated younger students.
Discover More
Photo by Karl Rabe

Discover More

The Center for Civic Engagement   Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion   Sustainability at Bard