Bard Baccalaureate

Applications for Fall 2025 will be accepted from December 1, 2024 through March 1, 2025. Learn More »

Full-Tuition

Scholarship for

Adult Students

What is the BardBac?

A full-time, full-tuition scholarship opportunity for adult students pursuing BA degrees at Bard College.

Students working together in a group indoors.
Adult student smiling in cap and gown at commencement.

Who is the 
BardBac for?

Adult students aged 24 or older whose educations have been interrupted or deterred, who are hungry for serious intellectual inquiry, and who are eager to make new, extraordinary contributions to their communities.

BardBac students may 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, structural racism or other forms of inequity. Or they may simply have taken time to recognize their own intellectual ambitions.

There is no one way to be a BardBac student.

“For me, a brown immigrant woman, growing up in an underprivileged community … the BardBac has opened a door to a future where I will be able to help my community.”

– Verónica

What do BardBac students study?

Anything other liberal arts students study — the full breadth of the Bard College Catalogue is open to BardBac students. Every BardBac student’s path to the BA degree is different, depending on their interests and whether or not they bring credits with them when they enroll.

All BardBac students take a specially designed interdisciplinary seminar in their first semester, which replaces Bard’s traditional first-year coursework and supports the BardBac cohort as a community. BardBac students also meet regularly as a group with dedicated advisors and form networks of mutual support among themselves.

Two BardBac grads in robes with sashes smiling at commencement.

How much does the BardBac cost?

Tuition and books for the BardBac are covered by scholarships and grants that do not have to be paid back, including federal Pell and New York State TAP grants for those students who are eligible for them.

All BardBac students are responsible for showing proof of health insurance or buying health insurance through the college, a fee not covered by the scholarship. BardBac students may take out federal direct student loans to cover living expenses while they are enrolled, if they choose to.

Who is eligible to apply?

Two BardBac grads embrace at commencement.
BardBac graduate listening intently at commencement.
BardBac graduate leads procession during commencement.

When can I apply?

Applications for Fall enrollment open on December 1 every year, and are due March 1 for enrollment the following fall.

How to Apply