by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Bard College, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
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The cost of attendance at Bard College comes to about $81,661.00 per year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $66,436.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $15,225.00 |
| Total cost | $81,661.00 |
| That is 149% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $81,661.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$49,904.00 |
| Net price | $31,757.00 |
| That is 3% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $81,661.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$65,541.00 |
| Net price | $16,120.00 |
| That is 51% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see the tuition & fees page and living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising at a recent average of 4.7% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Freshman year | $16,870.00 | $33,234.00 | $85,460.00 |
| Senior year | $19,335.00 | $38,091.00 | $97,950.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $72,336.00 | $142,504.00 | $366,440.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $27,557.00 | $54,289.00 | $139,601.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $832.00 | $1,640.00 | $4,217.00 |
| Total amount paid | $99,893.00 | $196,793.00 | $506,041.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Freshman year | $16,870.00 | $33,234.00 | $85,460.00 |
| Senior year | $17,655.00 | $34,780.00 | $89,435.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $34,525.00 | $68,015.00 | $174,895.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,153.00 | $25,911.00 | $66,629.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $397.00 | $783.00 | $2,013.00 |
| Total amount paid | $47,677.00 | $93,926.00 | $241,524.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $34,649.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $31,771.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $13,609.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $17,710.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $19,816.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $26,909.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $43,347.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Bard College Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the grants & scholarships detail.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Bard College stands at $19,000.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden bucket.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,500.00 |
| 25th | $10,250.00 |
| Median (50th) | $19,000.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $28,500.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000.00 |
| Middle income | $18,750.00 |
| High income | $19,500.00 |
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,865.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Bard College comes to $124.00. This school is flagged by the Department of Education for Pell-related debt inequity.
The default-rate category at Bard College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 3.2% |
For context on the loan portfolio, Stafford disbursements at Bard College amount to $162,391,664.00 spread across 8,050 disbursements.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 2 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $45,748.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh Bard College, the questions below are worth your time:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.