Admissions Requirements
Bard College Berlin’s programs are taught entirely in English. Therefore, applicants should possess knowledge of English equivalent to level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. (scroll down for equivalent test scores). Applicants should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and should have completed at least 1.5 years of full-time study (at least 25 ECTS or equivalent credits per semester) at their home university as full-time students at the time of application.
Application Process
After you have been nominated to participate in the exchange program by your home university, Student Abroad and Student Life Officer Amber Kepple Jones will share the application with you via email.
Information for International Students
Please check this page from the Auswärtiges Amt to see if your passport requires an entry visa for studying or potentially a residence permit. Make sure to read the footnotes.
If you are required an entry visa and don’t currently hold an EU/EFTA residence permit, you will need to apply for a study visa for the entire duration of your exchange. Please refer to your local German Embassy or Consulate for the processes and required documentation. BCB provides a visa invitation letter.
If you are allowed to enter Germany and apply for a student permit, BCB can submit your application after you have arrived in Berlin. You are also welcome to apply for a visa to avoid lengthy residence permit processing times.
Non-EU/EFTA students with valid residence permits in EU countries tend to be able to apply for a student residence permit after arrival in Berlin (please check with the relevant embassy to be sure). Students are welcome to apply for visas at their local embassies beforehand to avoid the lengthy process and processing times during their exchange semester.
Visa invitation letters are issued digitally unless otherwise requested.
Strong campus community and small seminar groups
True to the principles of liberal arts education, Bard College Berlin offers interdisciplinary programs in the humanities and social sciences, with a strong focus on individual growth and the development of essential skills in writing and thinking.
The college campus is located in a residential area not far from the center of the vibrant city of Berlin. In small seminar groups students have the opportunity to pursue a rigorous course of study in the concentrations of Art and Aesthetics, Artistic Practice, Economics, Ethics and Politics, Literature and Rhetoric, and Politics. There are also a wide range of electives in the fields of philosophy, literature, film, art, history, the practicing arts, and social and economic theory that students can choose from. The language of instruction at the college is English but all students have the opportunity to acquire German language competency.