Reed College vs Bard College

Reed College and Bard College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Reed, located in Portland, Oregon, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 38%, while Bard, situated in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, is slightly more accessible with an acceptance rate of 48%. Both colleges emphasize academic rigor and intellectual exploration, but they differ in their popular majors. Reed is known for its strengths in the humanities and social sciences, while Bard offers a wider range of programs, including popular majors in the arts, music, and environmental studies. Additionally, the student bodies at these institutions vary in terms of demographics and graduation rates. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bard College	Reed College
Overview
Location	Annandale-On-Hudson, New York	Portland, Oregon
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%	88.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.9%	43.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	$75
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	7,010
Total number of admissions given out	3,096	3,071
Admitted students who chose to enroll	473	502
Yield rate	15.3%	16.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$77,020
Average net price	$24,318	$33,056
Tuition	$57,498	$62,420
Room & board	$16,760	Room/dormitory: $8,130 Meal plan: $7,510
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	58.0% Average amount $43,945
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,101	46.0% Average amount $4,374
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $16,225	7.0% Average amount $19,335

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,171 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	1,548 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	420 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	18 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.7%
International students	14.7%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,400	1,113
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Oregon Washington New York Colorado

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	72.7%
Dropout rate	9.9%	8.2%
Transferred out	18.3%	17.8%
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	English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: $26,088 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,874 Year 3: $23,169 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,125 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A

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