Bard College's Return to College Program (RCP) is for college applicants who are 24 years old or older. The RCP program requires that students have at least one semester's worth of college credits (12 or more credits) from a previous higher education program that can be transferred to Bard College. More information about the program is below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Greg Armbruster, Director of Transfer Admission, at garmbrus@bard.edu.
Attention Return to College (RCP) Applicants!
BardBac Scholarship
Return to College (RCP) applicants may apply for need-based financial aid by submitting the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
RCP applicants may also apply for the BardBac Scholarship, a financial aid scholarship and cohort model program open only to RCP candidates selected through a special application review and interview process.
If you are interested in applying for the BardBac Scholarship, please review the application steps below:
Register for the required RCP applicant interview using our February interview calendar here.
Submit the transfer student Common Application.
Once you have submitted your Common Application you will receive an email containing login information for your Bard portal. Note that your Bard portal is a useful tool that allows you to track your application materials and is where you will receive communications about our admission decision.
Use your Bard portal login credentials to complete the BardBac Scholarship form listed on the BardBac website here. You can follow the instructions listed on that site under the section created for students who have already submitted their Common Application.
Complete and submit your BardBac Scholarship form, it will automatically be associated with your Common Application upon submission.
You will receive outreach from Madeleine George in March about a BardBac Scholarship interview. Note that this is a second round interview that will follow your required RCP applicant interview with an admission counselor in February.
Transfer Orientation and Two-Week Workshop
Starting Fall 2021
All transfer students are required to complete an orientation program. The orientation programs are designed to help students connect with each other and Bard faculty, become familiar with Bard's Annandale campus, and work on their writing and critical thinking skills, building upon the college experiences they bring with them from other institutions of higher education.
Transfer students enrolling in the fall complete an orientation program in August and transfer students enrolling in the spring complete an orientation program in January. Exact dates and details are shared with students well in advance of their arrival.
Transfer Orientation and Two-Week Workshop
Return to College (RCP) students––students who are 24 years of age or older and have earned at least one semester's worth of college credits (12 or more credits from a previous higher education program that can be transferred to Bard College.)
RCP students enrolling in the fall complete an orientation program that combines themes from Language and Thinking and Citizen Science (pieces of the first year orientation program) into one two-week program. These students are not required to take a semester of First Year Seminar, though it is an option.
RCP students enrolling in the spring complete Language and Thinking in January and Citizen Science the following January. Students may petition to opt-out of Citizen Science if they have sufficient experience in science, mathematics and computing at a college level. Appeals of this nature must be directed to a student’s faculty advisor and the registrar. These students are not required to take a semester of First Year Seminar, though it is an option.
Housing Return to College students are not offered on-campus housing.
Synopsis of the Orientation Programs Language and Thinking Program (L&T): During L&T, students read extensively, work on a variety of projects in writing and other formats, and meet throughout the day in small groups and in one-on-one conferences with faculty. The work aims to cultivate habits of thoughtful reading and discussion, clear articulation, accurate self-critique, and productive collaboration. Citizen Science Program: During Citizen Science, students learn by doing. Students are fully engaged in problem solving and must learn to identify, obtain, and digest the types of scientific evidence needed to make informed decisions. Citizen Science mirrors what it is to be a scientist. First-Year Seminar: During First-Year Seminar, students develop a clearer sense of their own intellectual goals and priorities, which will inform their work during the rest of their time at Bard.
Photo by Karl Rabe
A Cornerstone of Bard College's Mission
A cornerstone of Bard College's mission is a commitment to the transformative nature of a liberal arts education and the role of the liberally educated student in a democratic society. This power to transform extends to students beyond traditional college age and, for this reason, the College has historically been committed to its programs that serve this population, specifically the Returning to College Program (RCP).
About the Program
Eligibility and Financial Aid
Individuals who are 24 years of age or older and have successfully completed at least one semester of college work (as determined by the Registrar of the College) may apply to Bard through the RCP as transfer students. Please note, however, those who have already earned a bachelor's degree are ineligible for this program
RCP students are eligible for financial aid if they register for 12 or more credits in one semester. The FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. If an RCP student registers for fewer than 12 credits in a given semester, the cost is calculated on a per-credit basis and no financial aid is available.
Our Philosophy
The Returning to College Program resists the separation of adult degree students and regular undergraduates. The program is founded on the premise that returning students benefit from participating in the regular undergraduate curriculum, taking their places at the seminar table, the lab bench, and barre, and learning from and with their younger colleagues.
Within the liberal arts curriculum at Bard, students in the RCP will engage in a rigorous encounter with their courses of study. It is through this process of engagement that the liberal arts enrich our lives and empower us to effect change in the world, and this is true for adult learners no less than their traditionally aged peers.
Our Philosophy
The Returning to College Program resists the separation of adult degree students and regular undergraduates. The program is founded on the premise that returning students benefit from participating in the regular undergraduate curriculum, taking their places at the seminar table, the lab bench, and barre, and learning from and with their younger colleagues.
Within the liberal arts curriculum at Bard, students in the RCP will engage in a rigorous encounter with their courses of study. It is through this process of engagement that the liberal arts enrich our lives and empower us to effect change in the world, and this is true for adult learners no less than their traditionally aged peers.
In most cases, RCP students should expect to spend at least two years, or four semesters, at Bard. Transfer credits are evaluated by the registrar after the first year of study. All RCP students must moderate into their major area of study and then complete a Senior Project in order to receive a Bard degree. Please note that the RCP does not accommodate those who are seeking to earn a second bachelor's degree. Also, on-campus housing is not available for RCP students.
Applying to the Program
In general, all transfer forms and supplements are applicable for RCP students. However, while we prefer recommendation letters from college instructors, we recognize that this may not be possible for RCP candidates; therefore, personal or employment recommendations are accepted. In addition to the application forms listed on the transfer student webpage, RCP candidates are required to:
1. clearly specify in the "additional information" section of the Common Application that they are applying to the Returning to College Program (RCP); 2. include a cover letter summarizing employment and academic history;
3. complete a personal interview with an admission counselor.
Please do not mail or email any application materials directly to the Admissions office unless instructed to do so. Use your Bard Portal and go to your Application Tab to upload and view submitted materials.
HERE'S HOW TO USE YOUR BARD PORTAL
Submit your application materials to Bard College:
As an applicant, you will receive a login and a link to your Bard Portal. That portal gives you access to many tabs, one of which is your Application Tab where you will see your Application Checklist. Review your Application Checklist periodically to see if there are missing application materials. Upload all materials, including any supplemental materials you wish to share with us, to your Bard Portal. To submit documents through your Bard Portal, please upload a Word document, PDF or scanned image file.
Transcripts and recommendations submitted by your counselors and teachers will eventually appear with a green checkmark on your Application Checklist as they are received. If your transcripts and recommendations do not appear in your Application Checklist after you've requested them to be sent to Bard, please follow-up with your counselor, teachers and/or your school office. We will also notify you, via email, if there are any missing materials.
Check your financial aid materials:
If you are applying for financial aid, once you've submitted all the required materials, go to the Financial Aid Tab in your portal to confirm that they have been received and to see if there are any missing materials.
View admission decisions and notifications:
You will receive an email from Admission stating that there has been an update to your Bard Portal. Log in to your portal and click on your 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 you can indicate that your payment is forthcoming via a check or money order.
View events:
Any events hosted by the Office of Admission will be displayed in an Event Tab on your portal.
Here's what displays on your portal after you enroll at Bard:
Once your enrollment deposit is processed, within a week, your Bard Portal will display new tabs. The Enrollment Tab will display your personalized enrollment checklist. There will also be a Special Admitted Events Tab.
Virtual Interviews
Interviews are recommended but not required.
Contact the Program
For more information, please contact Greg Armbruster at 845-758-7472 or garmbrus@bard.edu.