Catalogue

Bard Baccalaureate

bac.bard.edu

The Bard Baccalaureate is a full-scholarship pathway for adults to complete bachelor’s degrees from Bard College. The BardBac is open to adults in the Bard/Hudson Valley region who have had their college degree paths interrupted or put on hold for a variety of reasons: the need to work, family obligations, student loan debt, the coronavirus pandemic, structural racism, or other forms of inequity. The program is nonresidential, but BardBac students enroll in at least three courses each semester on the College’s main Annandale campus, studying alongside Bard undergraduates. They can transfer up to 64 credits earned at other institutions toward their degree. Tuition and books are fully covered by scholarships and grants that do not have to be paid back. Students are also eligible for federally subsidized student loans to cover living expenses while they are enrolled. 

A project of the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)—Bard’s response to the crisis of mass incarceration—the BardBac launched in 2020 in response to the onset of mass unemployment precipitated by COVID-19. Colleges have a unique role to play in responding to the current crises: the BardBac seeks adult learners whose educations have been interrupted or deterred, who seek robust intellectual inquiry, and who are eager to make new, extraordinary contributions to their communities.