Private nonprofit · College

Bard College

Annandale-On-Hudson, New York · Fringe rural

52.1%
Admit rate
$34,649
Avg net price
68%
Graduation rate
$46,543
Median earnings

Bard College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,414 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,414 undergradsFringe ruralSelective · 52% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bard College's admitted students.

Admit rate
52.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1270–1450
Avg GPA (est.)
3.82

Enter a test score to see where you land against Bard College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bard College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Annandale-On-Hudson, New York

Annandale-on-Hudson is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States, located in the Hudson Valley town of Red Hook, across the Hudson River from Kingston. Today, Bard College stands on the land that John Bard donated. The land comprising Annandale-on-Hudson, sometimes abbreviated to "Annandale", is mostly owned by Bard College. Annandale-on-Hudson is the hometown of the fictional Marvel Comics character Jean Grey of the X-Men. Chris Claremont, best known for his run on the X-Men comic book, attended Bard. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
44 miles to Albany, NY
To the ocean
49 miles
Nearest airport
37 miles to New York Stewart (SWF)

How Bard College compares

Selectivity52.1%

More selective than 83% · #27 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1380

Higher than 88%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #57 of 159 in New York

First-year retention85%

Higher than 75%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,543

Higher than 28% · #105 of 133 in New York

Average net price$34,649

Cheaper than 9% · #134 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$24,254

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment2,414

Larger than 63%

Percentiles compare Bard College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,887students
  • Undergraduate2,41484%
  • Graduate47316%

Undergraduates by gender

2,414undergrads
  • Women1,49662%
  • Men91838%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White45%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian2.7%
  • Other or multiracial25%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,414
Graduate enrollment
473
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
12%
Students over 25
22%
Median family income
$62,890
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$113,301
Endowment
$167,819,284

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
52.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1270–1450
SAT average
1380
SAT reading
650–750
SAT math
620–700
ACT composite
28–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.82

Cost

In-state tuition
$66,436
Room & board
$18,852
Books & supplies
$950
Total cost of attendance
$84,553
Average net price
$34,649

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
68%
Graduated on time (4 years)
54%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,072
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,543
Median debt at graduation
$24,254
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
75%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
54%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
63%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,400
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
58%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
289 (165 men · 124 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (11)

Soccer51
Baseball35
Basketball29
Track and Field (Indoor)27
Track and Field (Outdoor)27
Volleyball24
Cross Country22
Lacrosse21
Swimming20
Squash17
Tennis16

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
32
Property offenses (2022–2024)
16

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (2,911 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

16reported offenses a year
11 violent a year5.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
7.7
Burglary
5.3
Rape
2.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$19,012
$30–48k
$21,038
$48–75k
$22,139
$75–110k
$28,185
$110k+
$44,873

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$95,157

$22,139/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

77%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$54,213
average award, among those who get one

Bard College discounts heavily: 77% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $54,213. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 444 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$46,543
Typical debt at graduation
$24,254
Debt vs. one year's pay
52%
Out-earn a HS grad
51%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$47,657
Men
$45,516

Women out-earn men by $2,141 (5%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
11°F
Annual rain
50.7″
Annual snow
85.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rhinebeck 4SE, NY US station (9.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Bard College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bard College side by side →

Colleges near Bard College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.