Amherst College vs Bard College

Amherst College and Bard College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Amherst, known for its rigorous academics and selective admissions, boasts an acceptance rate of 13.2% and a strong focus on STEM and social science majors. Bard, on the other hand, embraces a more interdisciplinary approach, with a 48.5% acceptance rate and popular majors in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. While Amherst's student body is predominantly White and Asian, Bard's student body is more diverse, with a significant international presence. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Amherst at 94% and Bard at 88%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Amherst College	Bard College
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Annandale-On-Hudson, New York
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	59.9%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1370 - 1550	N/A
ACT range	32 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	31.0%
Total number of applicants	13,999	5,167
Total number of admissions given out	1,224	3,096
Admitted students who chose to enroll	515	473
Yield rate	42.1%	15.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,050	$72,868
Average net price	$18,809	$24,318
Tuition	$60,700	$57,498
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,700 Meal plan: $7,400	$16,760
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $58,644	79.0% Average amount $50,598
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,233	49.0% Average amount $5,101
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,803	2.0% Average amount $16,225

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,971 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,171 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%
Graduate students	N/A	420 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.4%	14.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,000	1,400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Business Education Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.4%	70.6%
Dropout rate	2.5%	9.9%
Transferred out	3.6%	18.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,775 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $94,870 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,970 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $85,992 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,271 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,030 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $53,743 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,419 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $46,160 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,744 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,173 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,896 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $96,310 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,261 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,624 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,818 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,518 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,944 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $27,353 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,051 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Amherst College vs Bard College

Amherst College

Bard College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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