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AlmaSpire

Great Barrington, MA · Private · 225 undergraduates · rural

Bard College at Simon's Rock

Less selective

A residential early-college pathway designed primarily for students entering after 10th or 11th grade.

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in student experience and career outcomes.
Academic Steady Affordability Emerging Career Steady Mobility Steady Experience Steady
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Steady
Student experience Steady
Admission
97.2% admitted

179 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
69.9%

$46,543 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Bard College at Simon's Rock apart

Academic design

Early-college students start a rigorous liberal-arts curriculum with required work across arts, languages and literature, science/math/computing, and social studies, then can continue toward a Bard bachelor's degree after the associate degree.

Campus pattern

The current setting is a small early-college community adjacent to Bard's main Hudson Valley campus, giving students access to a broader college community while retaining a distinct peer group.

Defining feature

A residential early-college pathway designed primarily for students entering after 10th or 11th grade.

Can I get in?

97.2% admitted

The applicant pool is unusual: most Early College applicants apply while in 10th or 11th grade, and the school evaluates readiness for college-level work rather than following a standard high-school-senior admissions model.

Recent applicant pool

179

About 97 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 97.2%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Return for a second year77%
Finish the degree69.9%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Bard College at Simon's Rock, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Bard College at Simon's Rock weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Early-college students start a rigorous liberal-arts curriculum with required work across arts, languages and literature, science/math/computing, and social studies, then can continue toward a Bard bachelor's degree after the associate degree.

02

Make the fit specific

A residential early-college pathway designed primarily for students entering after 10th or 11th grade.

03

Account for the tradeoff

The applicant pool is unusual: most Early College applicants apply while in 10th or 11th grade, and the school evaluates readiness for college-level work rather than following a standard high-school-senior admissions model.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

The applicant pool is unusual: most Early College applicants apply while in 10th or 11th grade, and the school evaluates readiness for college-level work rather than following a standard high-school-senior admissions model.

Application routeInstitution application

No application fee recorded

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$86,482
Average annual cost after aid$32,000
Affordability profileEmerging

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Bard College at Simon's Rock

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

A residential early-college pathway designed primarily for students entering after 10th or 11th grade.

Complete within 8 years69.9%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one77%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$46,543

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

Bard College at Simon's Rock beyond the classroom

The current setting is a small early-college community adjacent to Bard's main Hudson Valley campus, giving students access to a broader college community while retaining a distinct peer group.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Early-college students start a rigorous liberal-arts curriculum with required work across arts, languages and literature, science/math/computing, and social studies, then can continue toward a Bard bachelor's degree after the associate degree.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The current setting is a small early-college community adjacent to Bard's main Hudson Valley campus, giving students access to a broader college community while retaining a distinct peer group.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A residential early-college pathway designed primarily for students entering after 10th or 11th grade.

225 undergraduatesNew Englandrural settingPrimarily off-campus housing