Who are BardBac students?
BardBac students are adults aged 24 and older 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, structural racism or other forms of inequity.
BardBac students may have had negative experiences with college in the past, may be people who have assumed college could never be a reality in their lives, or may simply be individuals who 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: philosophy, art history, mathematics, chemistry, sociology, literature, creative writing — the full breadth of the Bard College Catalogue is open to BardBac students.
In addition, all BardBac students take a specially designed seminar in their first semester, which replaces Bard’s traditional first-year coursework and supports the BardBac cohort as a community. The BardBac seminar is interdisciplinary, writing-intensive, and innovative — the subject matter changes every semester, depending on who’s teaching it. BardBac students also meet regularly as a group with dedicated advisors and form networks of mutual support among themselves.
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. BardBac students work with the BardBac advisors and their individual faculty advisor to build a personalized curriculum, choosing classes from among Bard’s course offerings leading to a major field and senior project topic of their choice.
Learn MoreHow 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.
BardBac students may also take out federal direct student loans to cover living expenses while they are enrolled, if they choose to take 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. The BardBac scholarship also does not cover additional individual fees, such as parking, equipment rental, music lesson fees, and studio arts supply fees. BardBac students who do not already have a laptop computer may request a Chromebook at no cost.
“The opportunity to look at education through a shared vision of aspiring Bard graduates who were given a chance to be counted, be open and be developed is a long time coming.”
—Cleveland
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants to the BardBac program must be 24 years old or older at the time of enrollment.
Applicants to the BardBac must hold a high school diploma or equivalency (GED, HSE, HiSET, TASC), and may not hold any degree higher than the associates degree from any college or university in the U.S. or abroad.
No standardized tests are required to apply.
U.S. citizenship is not required to apply to the BardBac; Bard admits and supports undocumented students.
All BardBac applicants are required to apply for state and federal financial aid; those whose household finances would qualify them for Pell and TAP grants will be given priority in the admissions process.
Yes. BardBac students may have earned some college credits in the past, or they may never have been to college before. If you’re applying to the BardBac and you’ve never been to college before, reach out to [email protected] so we can help you navigate the Common Application for First-Year Students.
Unfortunately, no. If you have ever earned a BA degree, even if you got it a long time ago, in a field you no longer wish to work in, or in another country, you can’t apply to the BardBac.
Yes. U.S. citizenship is not required to apply to the BardBac; Bard admits and supports undocumented students. Applicants who are not eligible for financial aid due to citizenship requirements will be excused from the financial aid application process.
We can work with that. BardBac applicants must fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and the CSS Profile, even if they know these forms will show that they’re ineligible for financial aid because of loans in default.