Bard College at Simon's Rock: An Early Start to Higher Education
Bard College at Simon's Rock offers a unique educational pathway for motivated students ready to begin college early. As the only four-year residential college designed specifically for students eager to start college before the traditional age, Simon's Rock provides a challenging and supportive environment for intellectual growth. Founded in 1966 by Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, the institution was built on the principle that many bright, motivated young people are ready for serious intellectual work at the age of 16 or 17. In 2025, Simon's Rock relocated to Bard College’s main campus in New York’s Hudson Valley.
A Pioneer in Early College Education
Simon’s Rock offers a unique path for students who find traditional high school limiting. Here, intellectual curiosity is celebrated, and rigorous academic exploration begins earlier. The school gladly accepts applications from rising juniors and seniors. In fact, the average Simon’s Rock student is sixteen when he or she enters. Dubbed an “early college,” Bard College at Simon’s Rock is a unique institution that “allows you to leave high school and start college without a high school diploma” for enrollment.
The college fosters a community where every student is an individual empowered to delve deep into subjects they love, guided by dedicated faculty who are experts in their fields. The admission process at Simon's Rock is designed for motivated students ready for an accelerated college experience. Simon’s Rock typically attracts “hyperintellectual” students who possess a strong “desire to learn.” Indeed, many individuals who enroll here are “exceptionally self-driven and motivated to carve their own paths.” We look for intellectual curiosity, academic preparedness, and a genuine desire to be part of, and contribute to, a vibrant learning community.
Academics and Curriculum
Simon's Rock offers a rigorous liberal arts curriculum that challenges students to think critically and creatively across disciplines. Everyone takes on a “challenging” liberal arts curriculum. And given that “the average class size is twelve,” a “high level of engagement” is customary. The school utilizes a semester-based academic year.
Students can learn directly from accomplished scholars and artists who are passionate about teaching. They can also dive into research projects typically reserved for upper-level college students.
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Some of our most popular majors include Biology, Politics, Photography, Music, Theater, Creative Writing, Literary Studies, Psychology, Pre-engineering, and Cross-Cultural Studies. We also offer Interdisciplinary Studies such as Gender Studies, Asian Studies, and Center for Food Studies. Our students also have a myriad of study-abroad and dual-degree programs: pre-engineering students have the opportunity to dual-enroll in Columbia University's Combined Plan Program in New York City, while art history or creative writing students can spend a year in residence at Oxford University's St. Catherine's College. The Simon's Rock Signature Program in Montserrat also offers students in any discipline a chance to study tropical ecology and environmental conservation on the Caribbean island of Montserrat.
Campus Life
Living on campus at Simon’s Rock means joining a diverse and supportive community of students who share your intellectual drive and zest for life. Nestled in the heart of Great Barrington, which is 2.5 hours from hubs like Boston and New York, our beautiful wooded campus sprawls over 275 acres. Surrounded by the Berkshires community, which is known for its natural beauty and rich cultural life, the Simon's Rock campus is home to student representatives from 37 states and 15 countries with more than 40 percent of the demographic being students of color.
With a student population of 400, our female student population outweighs our male student population, and twenty percent of our students identify as nonbinary. Twenty-five percent of the student body are international students representing 24 countries across the world, among them China, South Korea, Myanmar, and Uganda. Domestically, 47 states are represented such as Colorado, California, Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
Clubs and organizations are student-led and represent current student interests. There's a strong International Student Association and Pre-Med Society. The QueerSA, FIFE women's center, Black Student Union, Asian Student Association and Social Justice Committee all meet regularly. Poetry club, motorcycle club, Simon's Rock EMS, and Jews of Simon's Rock are among some of the newest student clubs to join the roster of exciting groups.
Our Daniel Arts Center houses student studios for dance and visual arts, as well as galleries and theater space for performances from students and local theater companies alike. The Kilpatrick Athletic Center offers class space for yoga and calisthenics, an eight-lane swimming pool, a rock-climbing wall, indoor walking track, and basketball court where recreational student teams can meet up for a walk-on game.
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Off-campus, the town of Great Barrington is a cultural and artistic melting pot filled with opportunities to explore and entertain. Our local ice cream shop SoCo Creamery creates delicious homemade ice cream, or students can request discounted tickets to catch a limited screening of film-festival flicks or box-office hits. During the warm weather, Lake Mansfield is open to the public for swimming and boating and there are plenty of trails to traverse around campus and into town.
Student Life and Activities
We’re not going to mince words; Simon’s Rock students tend to be “academically oriented.” Therefore, the majority of their “time…outside of class is spent studying.” But even these dedicated scholars kick back periodically, and there’s plenty of fun to be had when they do. To begin with, the college sponsors numerous events ranging “from poetry slams to lip sync battles and school dances.” “Open mics” are also fairly popular and well attended. And there are “always interesting guest lecturers or music performances” happening around campus as well. Additionally, many people are “incredibly active…in clubs and [with] various student-led initiatives.”
As one undergrad gushes, “There are clubs for everything you can think of, in fact, I was head of Slytherin House for [the] Harry Potter Club.” And you’re in luck if you love sitting in darkened theaters! After all, students frequently host “film nights,” screening everything from “art films [and] historical pieces [to] social commentary documentaries and even Game of Thrones.” But don’t despair if you’re an individual who prefers the outdoors. There are plenty of great “hiking” trails close to the school as well as places to ski in the winter months. Trust us, no matter your passion, you’ll be able to indulge at Simon’s Rock. The Snack Bar in the Student Union is a popular gathering place most evenings.
Applying to Simon's Rock
Students must complete the online application; they can start this first step in the application process early, up to a year before enrollment. We require two recommendations: two recommendations must be from high school teachers of two different core academic subjects (English, foreign language, math, science, or social studies); one must be from a current teacher. An interview with an admission counselor is required of each applicant. We prefer that the interview be in-person as part of a visit to campus but we also schedule virtual and phone interviews. For non-in-person interviews, students will be invited to interview after submitting their application. The financial aid application can be submitted before or after the application has been submitted.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
About 80 percent of Simon’s Rock students receive a financial aid package - usually a combination of awards, grants, Federal Work-Study Program, and loans. In addition to need-based awards, students are eligible to apply for federal and state aid, as well as any funding that may be available through private scholarships offered through local organizations. All first-year applicants are automatically considered for scholarship awards; there is no separate application. Simon’s Rock offers scholarships - ranging from $1,000 up to the full cost of tuition - which are renewable for four years. Due to scholarships and financial aid, the cost of attendance can vary greatly depending on each individual student's specific situation. In a typical year, over 80 percent of our students receive substantial financial assistance. Tuition covers the cost of classes (up to 18 credits per semester) as well as the use of campus facilities, resources, and support services, including academic tutoring, career development, the Alumni Library, the Kilpatrick Athletic Center, and the Win Student Resource Commons.
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Transition to Bard College's Massena Campus
As the transition begins for Simon’s Rock to relocate from Great Barrington, MA, to Bard College’s Annandale-on-Hudson campus in NY, WAMC spoke with several faculty members about the process ahead of the early college’s new opening in the fall. “I suspect we’ll see an increase in the day student population in the Hudson Valley. The Berkshires has had kind of a decline in school-age students in the population,” John Weinstein, provost and vice president of Simon’s Rock, told WAMC. “So certainly I will encourage Hudson Valley families to get to know us-because even though we do draw in [students] from across the country and around the world, there is a day student option that might interest people.” Construction is still underway to get Bard’s Massena campus, a former seminary acquired in 2023, ready for the transition, and the 260-acre location will maintain a separate feel from Bard, despite its proximity to the main campus, for the early college students.
A History of Innovation
In 1979, Simon’s Rock became part of Bard College, one of the nation’s most outstanding and innovative liberal arts colleges-located 50 miles from the Simon’s Rock campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. While Simon’s Rock has retained its unique identity and singular mission, the partnership brought new academic and financial strength to the College. Since 1979, Bard has added to the texture and depth of the academic experience at Simon’s Rock, shaping many of the intellectual hallmarks of a Simon’s Rock education: Writing and Thinking Workshops, Moderation, the Senior Project, as well as the First-Year and Sophomore Seminars.
The partnership with Bard College has deepened the Simon’s Rock mission to provide a transformative liberal arts education at exactly the moment in adolescence when a young person is most ready for it. It has also allowed Simon’s Rock and Bard to drive a nationwide educational movement based on the core beliefs that motivated Elizabeth Blodgett Hall. In 2015, Bard Academy at Simon's Rock opened on the Simon’s Rock campus, welcoming a small class of boarding and day students to an enriched two-year high school experience prior to their enrollment in the regular Simon’s Rock early college program.
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