Bard College
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Bard College is committed to insuring that every student accepted to the college is provided with access regardless of their income. The college offers substantial financial aid packages to low-income students through the following programs and policies: Federal/State Programs: • Federal Direct Student Loan The Direct Loan Program offers low-interest loans for students to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education rather than a bank or other financial institution. Students can qualify for a subsidized Federal Direct Loan based on financial need. Students can qualify for an unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan regardless of need. Unsubsidized means that the student (rather than the federal government, as in the case of the subsidized loan) is responsible for paying the interest while the student is in school. As of the 2010-2011 academic year, a student my borrow up to $3500 as a first year student, $4500 as a second year student, and $5500 as a third and fourth year student. An additional $2000 in unsubsidized loan funds may be processed upon request. An independent undergraduate student (or dependent students whose parents are denied a Parent PLUS Loan) can borrow a supplemental amount as an unsubsidized loan in addition to the amount of his or her basic Federal Direct Loan as described above. First- and second-year independent undergraduates may borrow up to an additional $4,000 per year. After two years of study an independent student may borrow up to and additional $5,000 per year. Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) A Federal Direct PLUS Loan is a low-interest loan available to parents of dependent students. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education rather than a bank or other financial institution. PLUS loans enables parents with good credit histories to borrow up to the cost of education minus any financial aid per year for each child who is enrolled at least half-time and is a dependent student. Federal Perkins Loan The Federal Perkins Loan Program is funded by the federal government and Bard College and is administered by Bard College. Recipients are identified as those with exceptional financial need. Because there is limited funding in this program, this loan is the last component in the student’s financial aid package. Further, since a first-year student has a much lower maximum eligibility for a Stafford Loan than do students who have completed their first year, the majority of these loan funds are awarded to the entering first-year class. The average loan is $1,000 due to limited funds in this program. Federal Programs The student's eligibility for all federal programs will be assessed as part of the packaging and awarding procedure. For more detailed information about federal student aid programs, go to the Student Guide on the FAFSA website. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) The SEOG is a grant program funded by the federal government and Bard College and administered by the College. Recipients are those with exceptional financial need. The College identifies applicants in this situation as Pell Grant recipients or applicants with a low EFC. Awards can range from $100 to $4,000 per year, but due to limited funding, the typical award ranges between $1000 and $1500. Continuing students can expect to have the SEOG award renewed provided there is no substantial change in the family’s financial circumstances. As is the case with the Pell Grant, eligibility for the SEOG is limited to the first bachelor degree program. Federal Work-Study Program (FWS) The federal government and Bard College fund FWS. It is intended to provide meaningful employment to a student on or off campus, thus providing the student a regular paycheck to help meet educational expenses. Jobs are not assigned to students. The student must apply to the Student Employment Manager to be considered for a position. Eligibility is determined by financial need. The typical FWS allocation is $1,650 per year. This amount provides the student the opportunity to work 8 hours per week at the minimum wage. Pell Grant The Pell Grant program is designed to help families with limited resources pay college costs. In 2010-2011, awards range from $1,176 to $5,550 per year. Pell Grant eligibility is limited to the first bachelor degree program. New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) The TAP provides grant assistance to New York State residents attending a New York State school on a full-time basis. Awards are computed by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (NYSHESC) based on the New York State net taxable income and the number of full-time college students in the family. In 2010-2011 the range of awards was approximately $400 to $4,900. For more detailed information visit the HESC website. Bard Scholarships: Bard Educational Opportunity Program: o The philosophy of Opportunity Programs at Bard remains consistent with the school's desire for diversity to be part of the learning experience of all students, regardless of race, creed, class, gender, sexual preference, or religion. Bard's Office of Opportunity Programs recognizes that students from a variety of backgrounds seek to attain a rigorous liberal arts education and often need support to realize this aim. Such students bring to the College a wealth of knowledge and insight not necessarily gained in the classroom. These individuals benefit from the Bard experience, just as Bard benefits from their presence. The Program currently serves Ninety-Six scholars from New York, California, Illinois, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Minnesota, Montana and Texas. Arthur O. Eve HEOP Scholarship Bard's Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), which began in 1969, is one of the oldest and most successful programs of its kind in New York State. Many students aspiring to attend college face a reality of few options and fewer opportunities due to a lack of economic and educational resources. HEOP seeks to confront this reality. In this regard, Bard's Opportunity Office is unsurpassed in its financial commitment to its students. The College retains and graduates a high percentage of the students admitted with a HEOP scholarship through support tailored to the specific needs of individual students. A scholarship equal to over fifty percent of the entire cost of attending the College, together with grants and minimal loans, meet the full financial need of a HEOP Scholar. When a student is accepted into the program, Bard assumes the financial cost necessary for the student's graduation. In addition, the program staff, in coordination with Bard’s Academic Resources Center and the academic and student affairs divisions, provides guidance in the development of skills that will ensure academic success at Bard. Bard Opportunity Program (BOP) Scholarship In 2008 Bard expanded its commitment to access and to equity in higher education through the creation of the Bard Opportunity Program Scholarship (BOP). Bard Opportunity Program Scholars come from New York State and beyond, possess a high level of achievement in either academics or leadership and demonstrate the potential for success in a competitive academic environment. Often BOP scholars exhibit a nontraditional profile, and do not posses the financial means to afford a college such as Bard. The Bard Office of Opportunity Programs commits to providing BOP scholars with the academic and financial support necessary for success at Bard. The office fulfills this commitment through sustained academic support in the form of an optional pre-first year summer program, workshops and tutoring as well as through career development, internships and alumni networks. Posse Scholarship Founded in 1989, Posse identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—Posses—of 10 students. Posse partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. Bard currently has admitted three Posse groups for a total of thirty students from Atlanta, Georgia and has been a Posse Partner since 2008.

The Center for Faculty and Curricular Development (CFCD) offers programs and support for faculty at all stages in their teaching and professional development. It provides a convivial venue for faculty-initiated discussion of a wide range of topics and issues and includes such programs as Lightning Lunches, the New (and Newer) Faculty Seminar series and the Faculty Support Network. The CFCD Committee is made up of Faculty, Staff, and Administrative members of Bard College. Programs are often targeted by topics, such as: Teaching & Academic Support for Learning Disabilities; Mentoring Students of Color; Intro. to “Campus Connects” & Suicide Prevention; Faculty Resources for Social Support of Students. The Office of Opportunity Programs partners with the Center for Faculty Development and the Office of Multicultural Affairs to offer workshops in topics such as “Advising in a Diverse World” and “Mentoring Students of Color”. These offerings represent only a sample of the ongoing campus partnerships that seek to address educating the Bard faculty and staff on how to better serve low-income students.

In addition to Academic Resources (see PAE-8), Bard facilitates the academic success of low-income student through the BEOP Program. o Bard Education Opportunity Program (BEOP) is funded by New York State and Bard. The program allows Bard to accept a limited number of first-year students from historically economically disadvantaged groups. One objective of the program is to assist students who, by reason of inadequate early educational preparation, do not compete with the average Bard applicant in high school grades, class rank, and College Board scores, but who do possess the ability and motivation for successful study at Bard. Students considered for the HEOP scholarship must be residents of New York State. Students considered for the BOP scholarship can be a resident of any state.

• BEOP Scholarships o Bard Education Opportunity Program (BEOP) is funded by New York State and Bard. The program allows Bard to accept a limited number of first-year students from historically economically disadvantaged groups. One objective of the program is to assist students who, by reason of inadequate early educational preparation, do not compete with the average Bard applicant in high school grades, class rank, and College Board scores, but who do possess the ability and motivation for successful study at Bard. Students considered for the HEOP scholarship must be residents of New York State. Students considered for the BOP scholarship can be a resident of any state. The BEOP Office at Bard determines the eligibility of the applicant and notifies the Financial Aid Office of its decision. The Financial Aid Office offers a financial aid package (grant, loan, and workstudy) that usually meets the full financial need of the student. When the College develops a financial aid package model for BEOP students, all funding sources are considered. The BEOP student is expected to be eligible for the maximum amount in each program, including the Federal Stafford Loan program. With this expectation the student’s full need will be met. • Posse Scholarship: o Please see above description. • Excellence and Equal Cost (EEC) Scholarship: o A public high school senior whose cumulative grade point average is among the top ten in his or her graduating class is eligible to be considered for a four-year EEC Scholarship. The EEC program is designed to assist students who would not otherwise be able to attend a private college or university because of its cost. The first-year students who are selected annually to receive EEC Scholarships attend Bard for what it would cost them to attend an appropriate four-year public college or university in their home state. Renewal of the EEC Scholarship is contingent on the student’s maintaining a B+(3.3 grade average) and accumulating at least 32 credits per year. • New Generation Scholarships o In order to make a liberal arts education available to recent immigrants, Bard College offers scholarships to students who demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a commitment to academic excellence and whose parents were both born abroad and came to the United States within the past twenty years. These scholarships are awarded based on need.

Every year admissions attend a variety of college fairs that cater to low-income and first-generation college students. The admissions staff at Bard also actively cultivates relationships with school districts and organizations that serve low-income students.

Bard has an active student advising practice, where all student - regardless of economic background - are paired with a faculty adviser to facilitate the education experience of the student and to monitor the progress and/or challenges that the student confronts. Furthermore, the Peer Counselor and student health services offer support networks for students who confront the emotional difficulties that can accompany the transition to higher education and adulthood.

As a rural residential college, part-time status is not applicable to our students, save very few during their final semesters. By this time, the students are well acclimated to the environment and demands.

n.a.

n.a.