by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students are not billed the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total price of attendance at Bard College can feel overpowering, but remember that the majority of students receive some sort of financial assistance.
What financial aid options can Bard offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep scrolling to see what amount of financial assistance could be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Bard College.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. Note that some aid is more valuable than the rest, and individual awards are far from uniform.
For incoming first-year students at Bard College, 80% of first-year full-time students received aid of some kind roughly 322 students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 74% | $55,235 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 74% | $53,573 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $5,355 |
| State/local grants | 11% | $2,565 |
| Federal student loans | 47% | $6,036 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At this school, about 57% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $55,642 (across approximately 1389 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 57% | $55,642 |
| Federal Pell grants | 17% | $5,847 |
| Federal student loans | 32% | $6,328 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $49,904.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $15,375 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $18,827 |
| Over $75,000 | $38,753 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $34,649 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $31,771 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Bard’s net price tool: npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/bard.
A typical borrower at Bard leaves with $19,000 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $24,254 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $257.13/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
The median alone does not show how widely outcomes vary across the student body. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Bard.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,250 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $28,500 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $18,750 |
| High income | $19,500 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,865 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,500 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $19,000 |
| Independent students | $15,160 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. Bard.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at Bard:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 8050 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $162,391,664 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 2 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $91,495 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $45,748 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.