Bard Early Colleges

Giving high school students access to collegiate study
in the liberal arts and sciences.

Bard has led the Early College movement since 1979, when it partnered with Simon’s Rock, the nation’s first early college. Today Bard operates a growing network of public early colleges—accredited Bard campuses located in public school systems—that allow students to earn up to 60 transferable college credits and an Associate’s degree, tuition-free, alongside a high school diploma.

Our Mission

Through a tuition-free, engaging college program in the liberal arts and sciences with robust supports, the Bard Early Colleges help high school students, particularly those at risk of not completing postsecondary education, access, afford, and complete college prepared to contribute to the workforce and civic life. The Bard Early Colleges simultaneously work to create the conditions in which early college education can thrive and serve more students across the country.

Visit the BHSEC Site >>

The BHSEC Network

Bard Early Colleges are located in:

High School Early Colleges
Manhattan
Queens
Newark
Cleveland
Cleveland East
Baltimore
Washington D.C.

Early Colleges and Academies
New Orleans
Hudson
Harlem Children's Zone
Simon's Rock
Simon's Rock Academy

Leading the Way

The First Early College

Since 1979

Bard College at Simon’s Rock is the only four year college in the United States specifically designed to allow bright, highly motivated adolescents to fully realize their intellectual and creative potential by beginning college immediately after the tenth or eleventh grade.

Visit the Simon's Rock Site >>

Bard High School Early College Queens.

Supporting the Early College Movement

Bard Center for Early College

The Bard Center for Early College (CEC) works to define and promote an educational model in which younger students can access higher education in a challenging, supportive, and affordable environment. The CEC develops institutional partnerships, provides pedagogical resources and support, and strengthens public policy and advocacy

Visit the BEC Site >>

The Early College Impact

Baltimore Early College Students Experience Homer’s Odyssey

Students at Bard High School Early College in Baltimore share their insights and experiences reading the new translation of Homer’s Odyssey by Emily Wilson. The course is part of The Maryland Odyssey Project, an initiative that gives high school students the opportunity to engage with the Odyssey in new ways.

Full Story

BHSEC in China

Our host and partner for the Bard Early College in Shenzhen is the Houde Academy, a private school offering a new model of education for Chinese high school students.

Visit BHSEC Houde