Bard College
PA-8: 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 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.

n.a.