Students come from across the country and around the globe to study at Bard.
They undertake a broad range of academic programs in Annandale. While pursuing their degrees, they volunteer in the community, develop their career goals, and bring their talents to the campus and the region. They share a love of learning and the leadership to make their mark on the world.Bard by the Numbers
Our Students
Photo by Karl Rabe
Class of 2027
Bard College’s Class of 2027 was selected from a large and competitive applicant pool, indicating their extraordinary promise. They are a high-achieving group, with wide-ranging interests and varied backgrounds. Our first-year students come to Annandale-on-Hudson from 38 states and 26 countries, bringing with them their passion, creativity, and intellectual engagement.
Who Is the Class of 2027?
Joelle Powe
Abundant opportunities at Bard have supported Jamaican filmmaker and anthropology major Joelle Powe.
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Levi Lakota Lowe came to Bard sight unseen and fell in love with the campus as soon as he arrived. -
Christina Kiser knew in high school that she wanted to go to medical school and become a surgeon. -
Trumpet player Viveca Lawrie was discovered by a Bard College Conservatory of Music faculty member, who encouraged her to apply to Bard.
Academic Snapshot: Time and Credits at Bard
The academic year is divided into two 15-week semesters.
Most classes are 4 semester hours of academic credit.
128 credits are required for the bachelor's degree.
The average semester course load is 16 credits.
About Campus: Rachel Explores Ward Manor
Rachel is a Bard College student in the Psychology Program. She visits one of the landmarks of Bard's campus: Ward Manor, often called simply "Manor." The porch behind Manor is a prime spot to study, enjoy a meal from the Manor Cafe, or connect with friends. The porch boasts a view of the iconic Stargon sculpture (affectionately called "The Bunny Ears"), the Bard Farm, and the Catskill Mountains in the background.
Why I Chose Bard
Why choose Bard College? The unique and rigorous curriculum, stunning campus, and close relationships with faculty are a few of the reasons our students decided to make Bard their home. Hear them talk about what drew them to the college in the beginning and the scholarly, creative community they've found on campus since.
Student News
Mahlia Slaiby ’27 Recruited to Lebanon’s National Women's Soccer Team
Bard student Mahlia Slaiby ’27 has been recruited to Lebanon’s Futsal National women’s soccer team. Slaiby will join Lebanon’s team as a defender and will accompany them to the qualifying match for the FIFA Futsal Womens’ Cup in May 2025.
Bard student Mahlia Slaiby ’27 has been recruited to Lebanon’s Futsal National women’s soccer team, which she will join in January. Slaiby is a sophomore at Bard and made an impact on the College’s soccer team in her first year, during which she was named Liberty League Rookie of the Week in September 2023. Slaiby will join Lebanon’s team as a defender and will accompany them to the qualifying match for the FIFA Futsal Womens’ Cup in May 2025.
“Bard is fortunate to have her talent representing the athletics department,” Bard College Head Women's Soccer coach Kate Hofstede said in conversation with the Department of Athletics. “I have no doubt her abilities will continue to grow this season."
Post Date: 09-10-2024
Bard student Mahlia Slaiby ’27 has been recruited to Lebanon’s Futsal National women’s soccer team. Slaiby will join Lebanon’s team as a defender and will accompany them to the qualifying match for the FIFA Futsal Womens’ Cup in May 2025.
Mahlia Slaiby ’27 Recruited to Lebanon’s National Women's Soccer Team
Bard student Mahlia Slaiby ’27. Photo by Pearllan Cipriano
“Bard is fortunate to have her talent representing the athletics department,” Bard College Head Women's Soccer coach Kate Hofstede said in conversation with the Department of Athletics. “I have no doubt her abilities will continue to grow this season."
Post Date: 09-10-2024
Bard High School Early College Brooklyn Opens with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) celebrated the opening of its new Brooklyn campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Located in the Brownsville/East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, BHSEC Brooklyn is Bard’s fourth early college campus in partnership with New York City Public Schools and its 10th early college campus nationwide.
Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) celebrated the opening of its new Brooklyn campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 301 Vermont Street in the Brownsville/East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Both Bard President Leon Botstein and Bard Vice President and Dean of Early Colleges Dumaine Williams were in attendance. BHSEC Brooklyn is Bard’s fourth early college campus in partnership with New York City Public Schools and its 10th early college campus nationwide. Like BHSEC’s other campuses, BHSEC Brooklyn is a public high school where students can earn up to an associate’s degree from Bard College, with 60 transferable college credits, alongside their New York State Regents diploma, entirely tuition free by the end of 12th grade. BHSEC Brooklyn provides students a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences and will ultimately serve up to 500 students, with 90% of seats committed to students from across Brooklyn. Importantly, 40% of seats are specifically for families living in East New York and Brownsville.
Post Date: 09-02-2024
Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) celebrated the opening of its new Brooklyn campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Located in the Brownsville/East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, BHSEC Brooklyn is Bard’s fourth early college campus in partnership with New York City Public Schools and its 10th early college campus nationwide.
Bard High School Early College Brooklyn Opens with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
L-R: Superintendent Tamra Collins, Principal David Allen, NYCPS Chancellor David Banks, Bard President Leon Botstein, Councilmember Chris Banks, Bard Vice President and Dean of Early Colleges Dumaine Williams, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Kim Council, Sen. Roxanne Persaud, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, NYCPS Head of School Design Shawn Rux, among members of BHSEC Brooklyn’s inaugural class. Photo by Danny Santana Photography
Post Date: 09-02-2024
Bard College Celebrates Arrival of Inaugural Cohort of Sponsored Refugee Students Through US Department of State’s Welcome Corps on Campus Program
Bard College welcomes two first-year students to its Annandale-on-Hudson campus as part of the inaugural cohort of sponsored refugee students in the US Department of State’s Welcome Corps on Campus program. The Welcome Corps announced the arrival of more than 30 refugee students enrolled at 17 colleges and universities across the United States representing the inaugural “class” of Welcome Corps on Campus, the first-of-its-kind program empowering US higher education institutions to welcome refugee students through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
Bard College welcomes two first-year students to its Annandale-on-Hudson campus as part of the inaugural cohort of sponsored refugee students in the US Department of State’s Welcome Corps on Campus program. The Welcome Corps announced the arrival of more than 30 refugee students enrolled at 17 colleges and universities across the United States representing the inaugural “class” of Welcome Corps on Campus. As the first-of-its-kind program empowering US higher education institutions to welcome refugee students through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the Welcome Corps on Campus enables colleges and universities to privately sponsor and resettle academically qualified refugee students who have not, until now, had a pathway through which they could resettle in the United States to pursue their higher education.
“Bard College is proud to be a part of the first Welcome Corps on Campus cohort of 17 colleges and universities across the United States who are sponsoring 33 students from the Dadaab refugee camp. The College is sponsoring two first-year students this year, and will welcome an additional two students from the Bard/OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiative (Kenya) in the next academic year. Welcome Corps provides a pathway to permanent residency to refugee students and is one of the ways through which the College is meeting the UNHCR 15×30 Pledge,” said Dean of International Studies at Bard College Jen Murray. “The students will receive additional support from the Dean for Displaced Students Danna Harman and other members of the Bard private sponsor group.”
“This back-to-school season, I’m grateful for the partnership of higher education institutions who are welcoming refugee students in the Welcome Corps on Campus’s first-ever cohort. Over USRAP’s 40-year history, we have seen time and again that refugees make tremendous social and economic contributions across the United States, including the kind of contributions that drive America’s competitiveness and innovation on the global stage. I’m confident this program will benefit not only the refugees arriving as students, but the campus communities generously welcoming them,” said Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the US Department of State.
Campus communities have long been places of innovation and opportunity. The Welcome Corps on Campus builds on this legacy and makes it possible for America’s higher education institutions to bring campus leadership, students, staff, and faculty together in the shared act of welcome of refugee students seeking to further their educations. Refugee students will be supported by on-campus sponsor groups who will help students secure housing, enroll in classes, access social services, and integrate as new members of their campus communities. In return, American students and institutions will benefit from the enriching international perspectives offered by refugee students, peer-to-peer exchanges that support experiential learning, and a stronger sense of belonging to campus life and the surrounding community.
“The Welcome Corps on Campus has set in motion a transformative shift in how higher education institutions can build community on campus while also addressing the global refugee crisis. Students, faculty, staff, and institutional leaders across the country are embodying America’s longstanding tradition of providing refuge by offering these students this life-changing opportunity,” said Nele Feldmann, director of the Welcome Corps on Campus.
Post Date: 08-21-2024
Bard College welcomes two first-year students to its Annandale-on-Hudson campus as part of the inaugural cohort of sponsored refugee students in the US Department of State’s Welcome Corps on Campus program. The Welcome Corps announced the arrival of more than 30 refugee students enrolled at 17 colleges and universities across the United States representing the inaugural “class” of Welcome Corps on Campus, the first-of-its-kind program empowering US higher education institutions to welcome refugee students through the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
Bard College Celebrates Arrival of Inaugural Cohort of Sponsored Refugee Students Through US Department of State’s Welcome Corps on Campus Program
One of the first-year students in the inaugural cohort of Welcome Corps on Campus on Arrival Day at Bard College.
“Bard College is proud to be a part of the first Welcome Corps on Campus cohort of 17 colleges and universities across the United States who are sponsoring 33 students from the Dadaab refugee camp. The College is sponsoring two first-year students this year, and will welcome an additional two students from the Bard/OSUN Hubs for Connected Learning Initiative (Kenya) in the next academic year. Welcome Corps provides a pathway to permanent residency to refugee students and is one of the ways through which the College is meeting the UNHCR 15×30 Pledge,” said Dean of International Studies at Bard College Jen Murray. “The students will receive additional support from the Dean for Displaced Students Danna Harman and other members of the Bard private sponsor group.”
“This back-to-school season, I’m grateful for the partnership of higher education institutions who are welcoming refugee students in the Welcome Corps on Campus’s first-ever cohort. Over USRAP’s 40-year history, we have seen time and again that refugees make tremendous social and economic contributions across the United States, including the kind of contributions that drive America’s competitiveness and innovation on the global stage. I’m confident this program will benefit not only the refugees arriving as students, but the campus communities generously welcoming them,” said Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the US Department of State.
Campus communities have long been places of innovation and opportunity. The Welcome Corps on Campus builds on this legacy and makes it possible for America’s higher education institutions to bring campus leadership, students, staff, and faculty together in the shared act of welcome of refugee students seeking to further their educations. Refugee students will be supported by on-campus sponsor groups who will help students secure housing, enroll in classes, access social services, and integrate as new members of their campus communities. In return, American students and institutions will benefit from the enriching international perspectives offered by refugee students, peer-to-peer exchanges that support experiential learning, and a stronger sense of belonging to campus life and the surrounding community.
“The Welcome Corps on Campus has set in motion a transformative shift in how higher education institutions can build community on campus while also addressing the global refugee crisis. Students, faculty, staff, and institutional leaders across the country are embodying America’s longstanding tradition of providing refuge by offering these students this life-changing opportunity,” said Nele Feldmann, director of the Welcome Corps on Campus.
Post Date: 08-21-2024
Life After Bard
Photo by Karl Rabe
Bardians Are Everywhere
Whether working in Annandale or Berlin, in sustainable agriculture or in a tech startup, Bard alumni/ae make a difference. Bardians are changing the way the world works, taking Bard's commitment to innovation and engagement worldwide. Being a Bardian means having an impact, wherever you may be and whatever type of work you're called to do. Look for members of the Bard community. You'll find us in your favorite films, your most ambitious business ventures, and your most innovative educational institutions.
Bard Awards 2019, photo by Karl Rabe.
Staying Connected After Graduation
Bardians take great pride in their alma mater and support Bard in any way they can, whether by recommending new students, making a gift to the College, or offering professional mentoring to current students and young alums. There are lots of ways to stay connected to Bard after graduation:
Career Development On Campus and Beyond
Bard supports students' professional development during their years in Annandale and after graduation. The Career Development Office offers a range of internship and job resources, and hosts events that connect students with various professions, alumni/ae, and employers. Bard Works is an intensive, weeklong program for juniors and seniors at Bard College that prepares them for work after graduation. The Center for Civic Engagement helps students secure internships, find service-learning opportunities, and design their own projects.
ALUMNI NEWSROOM
Art, Film, and Music: The Artful Animation of Bard Alum Jeff Scher ’76
Print magazine profiles animator Jeff Scher ’76 and looks at his most recent work: a video for Tom Petty’s “Call Me the Breeze,” from the late musician’s recently released Live at the Fillmore compilation. “All Scher needs to make his movie magic is some live-action film, a chromatic supply of watercolor and pastels and a rotoscope to get his cinematic juices boiling,” writes Steven Heller. “His films can be joyful, unforgettable and heartbreaking.”Bail Reform Is Working. Why Are Democrats Running Away from It? Dyjuan Tatro ’18 for NBC News
Eliminating bail for low-level offenses has proved that you can maximize freedom while not endangering public safety, write Dyjuan Tatro ’18 and Scott Hechinger. Cash bail and the pretrial detention system disproportionately penalize poorer defendants; eliminating the requirement allows people to continue to work and support their families while fighting their charges. Yet in spite of bail reform successes, including in New York State, some Democrats have allowed Republicans to control the narrative around the policy and have even blamed bail reform efforts for midterm losses.Bail Reform Is Working. Why Are Democrats Running Away from It? Dyjuan Tatro ’18 for NBC News
Photo by Bob Jagendorf, cc-by-2.0
Post Date: 12-06-2022
Bard Alumna Lexi Parra ’18 for the Washington Post: As Gang, Police Violence Rages, a Caracas Neighborhood Tries to Connect
On January 7, 2021, Venezuela’s Special Action Forces raided the La Vega neighborhood of Caracas, leaving 23 people dead in what the community calls the “La Vega massacre.” The special police unit has been accused of targeting working-class neighborhoods, criminalizing young men for where they live as it attempts to root out gang activity. As part of an ongoing project supported by the Pulitzer Center and a Getty Images Inclusion Grant, Bard alumna Lexi Parra ’18 gets to know the women of La Vega who are maintaining their community and pushing back against state and gang violence.Bard Alumna Lexi Parra ’18 for the Washington Post: As Gang, Police Violence Rages, a Caracas Neighborhood Tries to Connect
Nayreth holds her newborn daughter, Salomé, in her home in La Vega. Photo by Lexi Parra ’18
Lexi Parra majored in human rights and photography at Bard College.
Further Reading
- As gang, police violence rages, a neighborhood tries to connect (Washington Post)
- Venezuelan-American Photographer Lexi Parra ’18 Named Recipient of a 2022 Getty Images Annual Inclusion Grant
- Bard College Student Wins Davis Projects for Peace Prize
Post Date: 10-18-2022