Main Image for Bard Early College Network 

Bard Early College Network 

Photo by Sonita Alizada ’23
Continuing the Journey
Beyond the four walls of the Bard Early Colleges, linked by common values and a shared ethos of innovation, there is a liberal arts and sciences college unlike any other. At Bard College in Annandale, Bard Early College students are able to build fully upon their early college foundation, while being given space and freedom to explore and individualize.

Navigating the Next Step in Your Education

Although the arms of the Bard Network are physically distant, please know that we in Annandale are committed to providing you with as much support and transparency as possible as you navigate the next steps of your educational journey and to helping ensure that you will always have a home at Bard. To that end, we are sharing a few updates and opportunities:

  • 100 percent of college credits transfer seamlessly, without a need to advocate or navigate bureaucracy.
  • Bard Early College students can accelerate their BA timeline and graduate in two years. Some (due to their major program or personal preferences) graduate in three years.
  • Bard Early College students have access to the socially enriching aspects of the first-year program (such as the Language and Thinking program), which allow for a smooth transition to the residential college experience, while also being able to bypass first-year academic requirements, including First-Year Seminar and introductory courses.
  • Individualized academic advising and dynamic, personalized, collaborative learning focused on the creation of professional, original work.
  • A 1,000-acre Hudson Valley campus, two hours north of New York City by train, that supports a vibrant, active, globally diverse student body of 1,900.
  • The continual benefits of the Bard Network and the Center for Civic Engagement.

Early College Students
Bard High School Early College Baltimore

Early College Students

Preferred Admission and Scholarship Opportunity

In recognition of the synergy between academic programs in the Bard Early College (BEC) network, and to create a smooth transition from the early colleges to the BA program, BEC students have Preferred Admission, which includes curricular counseling and preregistration for classes. Applicants who demonstrate significant financial need may also apply for the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship for students applying for the Early College Opportunity (ECO) Program.

The Equity and Inclusion Scholarship

For students applying for the Early College Opportunity (ECO) Program

The Equity and Inclusion Scholarship is exclusively available to students from the Bard Early College network. Like other opportunity programs, it works to serve students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education, including first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students of color. The Equity and Inclusion Scholarship provides a full-tuition scholarship, supplemental financial support for expenses beyond tuition, a summer bridge program, specialized advising, and peer mentorship as well as access to all other resources offered by Bard’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Students apply for the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship alongside their Regular Decision application to Annandale via the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship form. We interview all candidates for the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship. 

Preferred Admission

  • Bard Early College Students Receive the Following Benefits
    • Advanced standing
    • Automatic transfer of Bard credits
    • Guaranteed on-campus housing
    • Early college transitional advising
    • Program and course selection advising
    • Preregistration for classes
    • Ongoing academic and social support
  • Graduates from the Following Programs Are Eligible for Preferred Admission
    • Bard Early College New Orleans
    • Bard High School Early College Baltimore
    • Bard High School Early College Cleveland
    • Bard High School Early College Manhattan
    • Bard High School Early College Newark
    • Bard High School Early College Queens
    • Bard High School Early College DC
    • Bard Early College Hudson

Early College Orientation 

Early college students begin with a three-week Language and Thinking program in August and complete Citizen Science in January. They are not required to take First-Year Seminar. 

Financial Aid

2022–23 Admission Cycle

  • For the 2022–23 admission cycle, we will meet 100 percent of demonstrated financial need (minus any eligibility for federal and state funds) for all admitted students from the Bard Early Colleges.
  • All Bard Early College students are eligible to apply for need-based aid via the FAFSA and CSS Profile by February 1, 2023.
  • All Bard Early College students are also eligible to apply for any of our named scholarships by January 1, 2023.
  • All Bard Early College students interested in the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship apply by submitting the Equity and Inclusion Scholarship form.
Students who receive a Bard College associate's degree from a Bard Early College program are eligible to receive need-based aid for up to six semesters. Students who receive Bard College credits from a Bard Early College program but do not receive their associate's degree are typically eligible to receive need-based aid for up to eight semesters.

Dates and Deadlines

Early Applications Due:
Early Action, Early Decision, Immediate Decision Plan, Bard Entrance Exam		 November 1
Bard College Aid Scholarship Applications Due (optional and if applicable) November 1
Immediate Decision Plan (IDP) Applicants: Financial aid forms for all IDP applicants to receive early notification of the financial aid estimate are due by this date.  November 1
Financial Aid Application Due for Early Applications (FAFSA and CSS Profile):
FAFSA and CSS Profile must be filed by all Early Decision applicants by this date.		 December 1
Decision Notification for Early Applications: December 1 (Financial aid notification to follow)
Deposit Due:
Early Decision, Early Decision 2-Immediate Decision		 Within a month after receipt of decision and/or financial aid package
Deposit Due:
Early Action, Early Action 2-Immediate Decision Plan, Regular Admission		 May 1
Regular Decision Application Due: January 1
Bard College Aid Scholarship Applications Due (optional and if applicable)
Equity and Inclusion Scholarship form Due (for students applying for the Early College Opportunity (ECO) Program Scholarship): 		 January 1 
Financial Aid Forms for US Citizens (FAFSA and CSS Profile): February 1
Decision Notification: March 8
Deposit Due: May 1

Bard allows students admitted via the Early Decision binding process to take one gap year. Students may make this selection by responding to their offer of admission on their Bard portal. Students must still withdraw their applications from other institutions should they be admitted to Bard via the ED application.

Interviews

We will be offering a special round of interviews for early college students in November. Any interested students can sign up for an interview soon. (Please know that interviews are not required.)

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS for in-person interviews: Please bring a mask with you to this event. You do not need to wear your mask to enter the admission building when you arrive but you might be asked to wear it at specific points during your visit. In advance of your visit to Bard College, we ask that you kindly monitor your current health. In the event you are not feeling well, we ask that you remain at home and reschedule your visit for another time. If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with a person with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the past 5-10 days, please also remain home.

Applying 

How to Apply: Bard Early College students apply to Bard College in Annandale via the Common Application. For convenience, students apply to Annandale as first-year applicants. We manually flag your early college transfer status in the Admission Office. 


 

Application Checklist

Required Materials

Required Materials

  • Apply using the Common Application.
  • Teacher recommendations: We prefer that one recommendation come from an English or humanities instructor and one from a math or science instructor.
  • Guidance counselor recommendation
  • School Report
  • High School transcript (Include mid-year senior grades if available at the time you apply.)
  • Portfolios and Awards: Supplemental materials are not required for admission to Bard; however, if a portfolio is included in an application, students who submit their application by the application deadline have a grace period of 5 days from the deadline to submit supplemental materials such as portfolio materials or to encourage teachers and counselors to submit their recommendation letters. 

Optional Materials

Optional Materials

  • Standardized Testing We do not require SAT/ACT scores, but if you submit your scores we will consider them in making our admission decision. (Bard's CEEB code is 2037.)
    • Bard College has been test-optional for nearly 50 years. You do not need to take the SAT or ACT to apply to Bard. 
      SAT and ACT scores should only be submitted if a student feels that their scores are an accurate reflection of their academic abilities. Submitted SAT and ACT scores are only used to inform our review process in a very small fraction of applications that include SAT or ACT scores. Students who do not submit their SAT or ACT scores are not penalized in any way during the application review process. While not required, students may self-report scores by including their scores in the Testing section of their Common Application or by uploading a copy of their score report to their Bard portal. For more information about our test optional policy, please reach out to the Office of Admission at [email protected] or 845- 758-7472. 
  • Portfolios and Awards: Supplemental materials are not required for admission to Bard; however, if a portfolio is included in an application, students who submit their application by the application deadline have a grace period of 5 days from the deadline to submit supplemental materials such as portfolio materials or to encourage teachers and counselors to submit their recommendation letters. 


MUST READ: Bard Portal Information

Once you submit your Common Application, it may take 24-48 hours for us to confirm receipt of your application. Once we receive your application, you will be emailed a confirmation which includes the credentials to access your Bard Portal. 

If you submit your Common Application on the deadline date but still have required materials to submit, please note that you will have time to upload those application materials after that deadline date as long as your Common Application has been submitted. It is important, however, that you submit those final materials as soon as possible after the deadline has passed as the admission committee cannot read incomplete applications.

Please do not mail or email any materials directly to the Admission Office unless instructed to do so. Use your Bard Portal and go to your Application Tab to upload and view submitted materials. 

Please make a habit of visiting your Bard portal frequently to view your application and financial aid checklists and confirm that we have received all of the materials required to complete your application. We will also be posting information on your portal throughout the admission cycle so it is important to check your portal regularly.
 


Bard High School Early College
Bard High School Early College Newark. Photo by Scott Barrow.

Bard High School Early College