Applications for the Advanced Performance Studies programs are due January 1.
Advanced Performance Studies Application
A student playing harp, with the strings in front of her face.

Important Dates and Deadlines

  • January 1: Application deadline
  • Mid-January: Applicants are notified of prescreening results via their Application Portal
  • End of February, beginning of March: Final auditions at Bard College
  • March 1: Financial Aid Application deadline
  • Mid-March: Final admissions decisions and financial aid packages released
  • April 15: Enrollment deadline

Requirements for All Applicants

A completed application will contain the following materials, as well as a nonrefundable application fee of $75.00.
Audition Requirements →

  • Résumé
    Please upload a musical résumé describing your performance experience. This document must be in English. Please include information such as:
    • Educational history
    • Musical awards and honors, including dates
    • Solo and chamber music performance experience
    • Master classes and music festival participation, including dates
  • Prescreening
    Prescreening requirements may be found here. Both audio and video recordings will be accepted. 

    Although Slate does support media files as large as 2 GB, please be advised that larger files will take longer to upload from your Internet connection and may stall if you are on a wireless connection or one that cannot sustain a connection for the necessary period of time. Uploaded documents may contain no more than 75 pages.
     
  • Academic Materials
    1. Two letters of recommendation 
      When prompted in the application, please enter the recommender’s name and email address. The recommender will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the recommendation online.
    2. All academic transcripts from schools  
      Please request an official copy of your academic transcript only after you have received your official live audition invitation, and no later than February 15. Transcripts may also be emailed from the institution directly to Bard. 

Letters of Recommendation and Transcripts

These may be sent electronically to [email protected]. 
Musicians performing in a blue-lit room while others look on.
Musicians performing in a blue-lit room while others look on.

Percussion Fellowship

The Bard College Conservatory is seeking applicants for one teaching fellowship position in the Percussion Department. The percussion fellows are students in the Advanced Performance Studies (APS) program, as well as being involved in all aspects of running the percussion program at the Bard Conservatory – scheduling and leading chamber music rehearsals, mentoring and organizing the orchestra percussion section, coordinating the teaching schedule, maintaining the instrument collection, and monitoring the progress of students in the program. Percussion fellows receive a full-tuition waiver to the APS program, as well as a stipend for living expenses. 

Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest and a current resume to Eric Cha-Beach by January 2, 2026. A small number of applicants will be invited to complete a full application, which will include a live playing audition and interview at Bard. 

International Applicants: English Proficiency

In addition to the first-year application requirements, non-native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English. They should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).* TOEFL scores should be sent to the Advanced Performance Studies Program by the Educational Testing Service. The Bard College school code is 2037. A minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test (PBT) or 100 on the internet-based test (iBT) is recommended for admission. We also accept the IELTS in place of the TOEFL, with a band score of no less than seven, or the Duolingo Test with a total score of no less than 120. Students should only request results to be sent electronically to Bard College directly from TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, and not physical documents to be mailed.

Other evidence of English-language proficiency will be accepted only with the approval of the Graduate Admission Committee. An application is considered incomplete and cannot be acted upon until the English proficiency score is received. The deadline for English proficiency score submissions is February 15. 

*Students who have spent the majority of their secondary education in an English-medium program may be eligible for a waiver of the language testing requirement.