Bard Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Bard College Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Bard College to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Bard College (Bard)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Bard's acceptance rate is 52.12% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 7,583 students applied and 3,952 were admitted to the school. It means that your chances of getting into Bard is not low.

To apply to Bard, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Bard's acceptance rate places 16th out of 167 New York colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1380 and the ACT score is 30 at Bard. Bard's SAT score ranks 16th out of 89 New York colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Bard's yield rate is 12.78%, which is significantly lower by 24.01 percentage points (approximately 65.3% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 50% and 60% (average yield: 36.79%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Bard at colleges with acceptance rates between 50% and 60%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Bard's acceptance rate is 52.12% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 12.78%. 2,891 men and 4,673 women applied to Bard and 1,253 men and 2,686 women students were accepted.

19 applicants who has another gender applied and 13 were accepted.

Among them, 183 men and 317 women were enrolled in Bard. You can explore the Bard's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Bard
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	7,583	2,891	4,673	19	0
Admitted	3,952	1,253	2,686	13	0
Enrolled	505	183	317	5	0
Acceptance Rate	52.12%	43.34%	57.48%	68.42%	-
Yield	12.78%	14.60%	11.80%	38.46%	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Bard College 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 66 students (13% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 46 students (9% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Bard.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,380, including 710 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 670 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 750 and the 25th percentile is 650. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 700 and the 25th percentile is 620.

The median ACT composite score is 30, with a 75th percentile score of 32 and a 25th percentile score of 28 at Bard. The median ACT Math score is 27 and the median ACT English score is 33.

How competitive is Bard's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Bard College are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,295, ACT: 29 - private (not-for-profit) baccalaureate college - arts & sciences).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Bard
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,270	1,380	1,450
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	650	710	750
SAT Math	620	670	700
ACT Composite	28	30	32
ACT Math	23	27	29
ACT English	30	33	35

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Bard College 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Bard. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Bard College.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Bard Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Required
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Required
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Not Considered
Recommendations	Required
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Considered, if submitted
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Required
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Considered, if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Bard:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Graduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: www.bard.edu/admission/
Online Application: www.bard.edu/admission/firstyear
Calendar System: Semester
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: Associate, Bachelor, Master, Doctoral (Research)

Get Admission Information

What is the acceptance rate at the Bard?

Bard is less competitive, with an acceptance rate of 52.12%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Bard?

Bard recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Bard is 1,380, and the average ACT score is 30. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Bard require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Bard requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Bard admission?

Yes, Bard requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.

Is there an application fee?

Bard does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Bard requires applicants to submit high school GPA, high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Yes, Bard requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Bard?

The institutional SAT code for Bard is 2037 and 4-digit ACT code is 2674.