First-Year Applicants

Bard gives credit or advanced standing for AP courses with a score of 5. To request it, send your grade record to the Office of the Registrar.

These international diplomas may be accepted for advanced standing: International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, Swiss Maturity, and German Abitur. IB students must score 5 or above in individual subjects. Students with A-level passes may enter with advanced standing and need an A or A* to receive credit.

If the Moderation Board recommends it, you may accelerate by up to 32 credits (a normal full year) at Moderation.

Once you have an admission decision, send questions about exact transfer of advanced credit to Peter Gadsby, the registrar ([email protected]).

College credits earned in high school transfer if the college provides a transcript and you earned a C or higher in courses similar to Bard's. If you expect to finish an associate's degree at high school graduation, apply as a transfer student.

If you apply as a first-year and your college won't accept the credits, we'll move your application to transfer status, because only one Common App is allowed.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is the administrative home of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Bard Opportunity Program (BOP), among others, and offers scholarships to high-achieving, low-income scholars from all 50 states. They support students who have experienced educational and financial inequalities and have the desire, potential, and work ethic to succeed in a liberal arts college.

The HEOP scholarship is for New York State residents only. The BOP scholarship is nationwide, and students from all 50 states are encouraged to apply.

To be considered for any of these scholarships, apply to Bard and also submit the Equity and Inclusion supplemental form. The optional scholarship application is due January 15 for students in HEOP, BOP, or Bard's Early College Opportunity program. Visit the Equity and Inclusion website.

Bard regularly receives applications from homeschooled students. Because curricula vary so much, our requirements differ somewhat, and we're willing to work with you to tailor the process. We recommend you provide:

• Your full curriculum and how you met it
• Names of textbooks or other books used and the content covered
• Other experiences used to cover the curriculum and how you were evaluated
• Results of any educational testing, and grades from any courses taken
• Standardized test scores (SAT or ACT, which are optional)
• An analytic paper
• Two academic recommendations from non-parent adults who have worked with you (English, science, or mathematics preferred)
• An essay on why you chose homeschooling and your experience with it

We strongly recommend a personal interview. Virtual interviews are available.

All applicants must submit an application for the current year, including students who have applied before. If you applied within the past two years, you can ask to have your recommendations, transcripts, or supplemental materials transferred to your new application by submitting this request form to the Office of Admission when you reapply.

If you no longer have your applicant portal login information, email [email protected]. You'll use that login to submit your request form.

If you already have a Common App account, you may want to use account rollover to resubmit your application.

• Early Decision admits may take one gap year by responding to their offer of admission in the Bard portal. They must still withdraw other applications if admitted.
• Applicants 24 or older, or turning 24 during their first year, are not eligible as first-years and should apply as transfers through the Returning to College Program, which requires at least one semester of transferable college credit (12 or more credits).
• Waitlisted candidates may submit supplemental information.
• Applicants who are not admitted usually must wait a full academic year before reapplying.