Applying to Bard

Attention Parents/Families of Bard Applicants!

• If your student submits their application on the deadline date but still has required materials to submit, please note that they will have time to upload those application materials after that deadline date as long as their application has been submitted. It is important, however, that they submit those final materials as soon as possible after the deadline has passed as the admission committee cannot read incomplete applications.
• If your student applied via the Bard Entrance Exam (BEE) they will also receive a confirmation email from us noting receipt of their BEE application within 48 hours of submitting their application essays. That email will also provide them with access to their Bard portal, which they should view regularly.
• We ask students not to mail or email any materials directly to the Admission Office unless instructed to do so. Your student is to use their Bard portal and go to their Application Tab to upload and view submitted materials. 

• As an applicant, your student will receive a login and a link to their Bard portal. (Note: It may take 24-48 hours for us to confirm receipt of their application, after which they will receive a login and a link to their Bard portal.) That portal gives your student access to many tabs, one of which is their Application Tab where they will see their Application Checklist. Students are encouraged to review their Application Checklist periodically to see if there are missing application materials. We instruct students to upload all materials, including any supplemental materials they wish to share with us, to their Bard portal. File formats we accept are listed on their Bard portal.
  • Transcripts and recommendations submitted by their counselors and teachers will eventually appear with a green checkmark on their Application Checklist as they are received. If their transcripts and recommendations do not appear in their Application Checklist after they’ve requested them to be sent to Bard, your student needs to follow-up with their counselor, teachers and/or their school office. Please note that applicants must not upload any recommendation letters themselves as these must remain confidential and should be sent to Bard by the recommenders directly. We will also notify you and your student, via email, if there are any missing materials.

• If your student is applying for financial aid, once they’ve submitted all the required materials, your student should go to the Financial Aid Tab in their portal to confirm that they have been received and to see if there are any missing materials. (Note: It can take from 48 hours to 3-5 days, depending on the form being submitted, before a green check mark appears next to each of the respective forms.)

• Your student will receive an email from Admission stating that there has been an update to their Bard portal. Your student is to log in to their portal and click on their Dashboard Tab where all decision letters and correspondences from the College are displayed. 
• Offers of Admission can be accepted, declined, or deferred, within the Bard portal. Enrollment deposits can be made using a credit card, or your student can indicate that their payment is forthcoming via a check or money order. 

• Any events hosted by the Office of Admission will be displayed in an Event Tab on their portal.

• Once your student’s enrollment deposit is processed, within a week, their Bard portal will display new tabs. The Bardian checklist tab will display their personalized Bardian checklist. There will also be a Special Admitted Events Tab.