Catalogue

Early College Programs

Bard College has been a national leader in early college education—providing intellectually inspiring college study in the liberal arts and sciences to high school–aged students—since 1979, when it assumed leadership of the nation’s first early college, Bard College at Simon’s Rock: The Early College.

Bard Academy and Bard College at Simon’s Rock: The Early College

Age doesn’t define intellect. The Simon’s Rock mission is to inspire the curiosity and creativity of motivated younger scholars with a challenging, empowering, and inclusive education in the liberal arts and sciences. Located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the 275-acre campus is home to two programs—Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock and Bard College at Simon’s Rock Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock is the nation’s only two-year high school that provides a challenging curriculum taught by college professors for 9th and 10th grades, and leads to a seamless transition to Bard College at Simon’s Rock after 10th grade.Bard College at Simon’s Rock is the only four-year college in the United States specifically designed for students who want to start college early, after the 10th or 11th grade. As the country’s first and most innovative early college, the rigorous liberal arts and science curriculum gives motivated students meaningful, serious academic challenges in a supportive environment. Simon’s Rock grants a four-year BA degree as well as a two-year AA degree. 

Bard Early Colleges

Now in their 21st year, the Bard Early Colleges (BECs) were founded on the belief that many high school–aged students are eager and ready for the intellectual challenges of a college education. The Bard Early Colleges—satellite campuses of Bard College in public school systems—act on this belief by providing younger scholars with a tuition-free, credit-bearing college course of study in the liberal arts and sciences following the 9th and 10th grades. Through unique partnerships with public school systems, Bard Early Colleges make it possible for high school–aged students to earn as many as 60 college credits and an associate in arts (AA) degree concurrently with a high school diploma, tuition free. All courses are taught by college faculty in rigorous and engaging undergraduate seminars. By bringing the best qualities of the liberal arts and sciences into high school settings, Bard strengthens academic opportunity for young people across the United States. More than 3,000 students are enrolled nationwide. Bard operates Bard Early College campuses in Manhattan, Queens, Newark, New Orleans, Cleveland, Baltimore, the Hudson Valley, and Washington, D.C. The Bard Early College model has proven extraordinarily effective in positioning young people of all backgrounds to succeed in higher education. An independent, quasi-experimental study on the flagship campuses in New York City found that BEC students completed bachelor’s degrees at a 31 percent higher rate than comparison students who attended traditional public high schools.