Mid AtlanticRuralPrivate4-yearVisual & Performing

Bard College

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

Annandale On Hudson, NY1,934 students
Acceptance Rate
52%
moderate
Median SAT
1,356
Middle 50%: 1270–1450
Net Price After Aid
$25.2k
Sticker $65.6k
Graduation Rate
73%
6-year, full-time

Bard College is a private institution in Annandale On Hudson, NY with an acceptance rate of 52% and 1,934 students. The middle 50% of admitted students score 1270–1450 on the SAT and present an average GPA near 3.72. The average net price after financial aid is $25,218 per year.

About Bard College

A private 4-year rural university in Annandale On Hudson, NY.

Bard College campus
Campus · Annandale On Hudson

Bard College is a college in Annandale On Hudson, NY. It enrolls roughly 1,934 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 52%. Admitted students typically score between 1270 and 1450 on the SAT.

Mid AtlanticRuralPrivate4-yearVisual & Performing
Acceptance Rate
52%
Moderate
Total Enrollment
1,934
Medium
Retention
85%
First-years returning
Graduation Rate
73%
6-year, full-time

Your chances at this school

What admitted students look like here. Sign in to see how your own profile compares.

Acceptance Rate
52%
52 of every 100 applicants admitted
Your Chances
Sign in to see your personalized chances.
Admitted Student GPA
3.72
Average across admitted students

Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.

What strengthens an application here

  1. SAT scores of 1270 to 1450
    The middle half of admitted students scored in this range. A score in the upper part of it strengthens an application.
  2. A GPA near 3.72 or higher
    This is the average across admitted students.
  3. Depth in one or two activities
    Sustained commitment, a leadership role, or a result in a few activities says more than a long list of memberships.

Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.

Admissions

What it actually takes to get into Bard College. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.

Admitted student profile

Range shown is the middle 50%.

SAT
composite, 1600 scale
1,3001,412
1,356
average
ACT
composite, 36 scale
3032
31
average
GPA
weighted, 4.5 max
3.574.00
3.72
average

This school doesn't require test scores, so these ranges reflect only students who chose to submit — applicants who submit tend to have higher scores. The real admitted range likely runs lower. Don't rule yourself out on scores alone.

Application requirements

  • Personal essay required
  • 1 teacher eval
  • Counselor rec required
  • Mid-year report
  • Test-optional
  • No application fee

Deadlines (2026-27)

Early Decision
Nov 1, 2026
Early Decision 2
Jan 15, 2027
Early Action
Nov 1, 2026
Regular Decision
Jan 15, 2027

Source: Common App 2026-27 requirements grid (verified Aug 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.

Cost & financial aid

Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at Bard College after grants and scholarships.

Sticker price
—
Tuition $65,614
Average net price after aid
$25,218
79% of students receive financial aid

Net price by family income

Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.

$0 – $30,000
$13,609
$30,001 – $48,000
$17,710
$48,001 – $75,000
$19,816
$75,001 – $110,000
N/A
$110,001 +
$43,347

Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.

Pell Grant Recipients
17%
Need-based federal grant
Take Federal Loans
32%
Avg loan $19,000 / year
Avg Grant Aid
—
Per receiving student / year

Academics & majors

Where students at Bard College concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.

Student : Faculty
9.4:1
Class-size proxy
Primary Focus
Visual & Performing
26% of degrees awarded
Retention
85%
First-years returning
A breakdown of the top majors by share of degrees awarded ships once we finish backfilling per-school program data.

Student body

Who attends Bard College. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.

Race & ethnicity

  • White55%
  • Asian3%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Black6%
  • Two or more races6%
  • International16%

Gender

  • Female57%
  • Male43%
International
15%
Of total enrollment
Live on Campus
—
Undergraduate residential rate
Total Enrollment
1,934

Outcomes after graduation

What Bard College graduates do next — and what they earn.

Median Earnings
$46.5k
10 years after enrollment
Employed at 2 yrs
—
Working or in grad school
Pursue Grad School
—
Within 5 years
Graduation Rate
73%
6-year, full-time

Is it worth it?

Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.

Median earnings
$46.5k
10 yrs after entry
Typical debt
$19.0k
median, borrowers only
Avg. net price
$25.2k/yr
after aid
  • These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
  • Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
  • Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
  • Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.

What this means

$47k is below the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 73% graduation rate is above the national average.

Similar schools

If Bard College is on your list, students often also consider these.

Related searches

  • Bard College acceptance rate
  • Bard College SAT scores
  • Bard College tuition cost
  • Bard College deadlines
  • How to get into Bard College
  • Best schools in New York
Sign up to see your oddsDetails