Simon's Rock at Bard College

Simon's Rock at Bard College admitted 95.9% of applicants university-wide (140 of 146).

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 15) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 140 admitted students, 75 enrolled (53.6% yield).

Simon's Rock at Bard College U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)

3.25–3.74

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

Simon's Rock at Bard College U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Published cost of attendance: $85,262/yr.

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

Simon's Rock at Bard College U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Simon's Rock at Bard College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

1. <strong>Why Here, Why Now?</strong><br><br>Leaving high school to begin college early is an unusual choice. What goals, ambitions, and motivations have led you to apply for admission to Bard College at Simon’s Rock? Are there particular experiences, either academic or personal, that have contributed to your desire to begin college early? How does the particular kind of education and community that Simon’s Rock offers fit your own desires for intellectual and personal growth? How will your presence affect the academic and social environments at Simon’s Rock? (500 to 1000 words)2000 words · Required
2. <strong>CRITICAL ANALYSIS</strong><br><br><strong>W.E.B. Du Bois</strong><br><br>W.E.B. Du Bois [1868–1963] was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and author. Born in Great Barrington, where Simon's Rock is located, Du Bois was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. Du Bois published The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909, and edited its monthly magazine, The Crisis.<br><br>For the Critical Analysis essay, choose one of the following options:<br><br>1. Write a 500-1000 word essay interpreting the following excerpt and discussing its implications for education, inclusion, and democratic society.<br><br><i>“[T]he hushing of the criticism of honest opponents is a dangerous thing. It leads some of the best of the critics to unfortunate silence and paralysis of effort, and others to burst into speech so passionately and intemperately as to lose listeners. Honest and earnest criticism from those whose interests are most nearly touched,— criticism of writers by readers, of government by those governed, of leaders by those led,—this is the soul of democracy and the safeguard of modern society.”</i><br><br>2. In this excerpt, Du Bois describes the experience of African Americans pursuing an education in post-Emancipation America. Write a 500-1000 word essay interpreting the excerpt and discussing how it might speak to the present day pursuit of knowledge, self-awareness, and authenticity.<br><br><i>“It was weary work...If, however, the vistas disclosed as yet no goal, no resting-place, little but flattery and criticism, the journey at least gave leisure for reflection and self-examination; it changed the child of Emancipation to the youth with dawning self-consciousness, self-realization, self-respect. In those sombre forests of his striving his own soul rose before him, and he saw himself, – darkly as through a veil; and yet he saw in himself some faint revelation of his power, of his mission. He began to have a dim feeling that, to attain his place in the world, he must be himself, and not another.”</i><br><br>&nbsp;2000 words · Required

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Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Median earnings

$46,543

Median earnings · 10 years after entry

Graduation rate

68.3%

Within 150% of normal time

First-year retention

77%

Return for year two · CDS Section B

Median debt

$24,254

At graduation

Simon's Rock at Bard College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Largest degree fields: Interdisciplinary studies (15%), Social sciences (10%), Visual & performing arts (10%).

Student–faculty ratio: 8:1 · 78% of class sections have under 20 students.

Simon's Rock at Bard College U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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