Colorado College vs Bard College

Colorado College and Bard College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Colorado College boasts a lower acceptance rate (12%) compared to Bard's (35%), indicating a more selective admissions process. While Bard's student body is slightly larger, both colleges share a commitment to small class sizes, fostering personalized learning environments. Colorado College excels in STEM fields, with popular majors including Computer Science, Biology, and Engineering, while Bard is renowned for its strength in the arts, with majors like Film, Creative Writing, and Music topping the list. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions between these two exceptional institutions, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Bard College logo

Bard College

Colorado College logo

Colorado College

Overview

Location Annandale-On-Hudson, New York Colorado Springs, Colorado
Campus setting Town: Fringe City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 87.0% 96.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 59.9% 14.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $65
SAT range N/A N/A
ACT range N/A N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants 5,167 10,975
Total number of admissions given out 3,096 1,564
Admitted students who chose to enroll 473 620
Yield rate 15.3% 39.6%
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 Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $72,868 $79,562
Average net price $24,318 $30,200
Tuition $57,498 $61,596
Room & board $16,760
Room/dormitory: $8,052

Meal plan: $5,616
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

79.0%
Average amount $50,598
57.0%
Average amount $48,666
Students receiving federal student loan 49.0%
Average amount $5,101
26.0%
Average amount $5,010
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $16,225
1.0%
Average amount $26,825

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,171
Men 44.4% Women 55.6%
2,241
Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students 420
Men 40.2% Women 59.8%
25
Men 20.0% Women 80.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 14.7% 6.6%
Campus local/setting Town: Fringe City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,400 1,745
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Liberal Arts
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Business
  • Education
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
  • Physical Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 70.6% 85.7%
Dropout rate 9.9% 2.2%
Transferred out 18.3% 11.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,092
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $59,954
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $24,396
  • Year 2: $20,482
  • Year 3: $29,045
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $21,826
  • Year 2: $20,140
  • Year 3: $16,137
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,555
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: N/A
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $24,472
  • Year 2: $37,568
  • Year 3: N/A
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Bard College Bard College vs Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design
Bard College Bard College vs California Institute of the Arts California Institute of the Arts
Bard College Bard College vs Otis College of Art and Design Otis College of Art and Design
Bard College Bard College vs Whittier College Whittier College
Bard College Bard College vs Ringling College of Art and Design Ringling College of Art and Design
Bard College Bard College vs Spelman College Spelman College
Bard College Bard College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
Bard College Bard College vs Goucher College Goucher College
Bard College Bard College vs Washington College Washington College
Bard College Bard College vs Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music
Bard College Bard College vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
Bard College Bard College vs Bard College at Simon's Rock Bard College at Simon's Rock
Bard College Bard College vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
Bard College Bard College vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Bard College Bard College vs Fashion Institute of Technology Fashion Institute of Technology
Bard College Bard College vs Pratt Institute-Main Pratt Institute-Main
Bard College Bard College vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
Bard College Bard College vs Curtis Institute of Music Curtis Institute of Music
Bard College Bard College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Bard College Bard College vs University of Puget Sound University of Puget Sound
Colorado College Colorado College vs Prescott College Prescott College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Occidental College Occidental College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Pomona College Pomona College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Scripps College Scripps College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Naropa University Naropa University
Colorado College Colorado College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Trinity College Trinity College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Spelman College Spelman College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Brigham Young University-Idaho Brigham Young University-Idaho
Colorado College Colorado College vs Knox College Knox College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Principia College Principia College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Luther College Luther College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Berea College Berea College
Colorado College Colorado College vs St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland
Colorado College Colorado College vs Williams College Williams College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Colorado College Colorado College vs St Olaf College St Olaf College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Millsaps College Millsaps College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Bard College Bard College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Hobart William Smith Colleges Hobart William Smith Colleges
Colorado College Colorado College vs Skidmore College Skidmore College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Union College Union College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Vassar College Vassar College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Denison University Denison University
Colorado College Colorado College vs Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Reed College Reed College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Colorado College Colorado College vs Trinity University Trinity University
Colorado College Colorado College vs Bennington College Bennington College
Colorado College Colorado College vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
Colorado College Colorado College vs St. John's College St. John's College