Project Year Applicants

Online Application Form

Bard College Berlin does not charge an application fee.

Applicants can submit their application by filling out the Bard College Berlin Online Application form - Project Year.

Please create an account, and follow the steps indicated in the registration form by filling out the required information carefully. After registration, log in with your credentials and complete the application form. Please indicate in the application your interest in being considered for the Academy Year program specifically.

 

Motivation Statement

The motivation statement is one of the most important components of your application. This should be a brief essay about why you want to study at Bard College Berlin. It’s also an opportunity for the Admissions Committee to get to know you better. Your motivation statement should be between 250 and 500 words in length.

A strong motivation statement will address the following points:

• Why you want to complete the Project Year program at Bard College Berlin
• How the academic offerings at Bard College Berlin fit with your aspirations and future plans
• Your interest in being part of a community in Berlin

In the Bard College Berlin Application Form, the essay must be uploaded as a PDF file.

Graded Writing Sample

The graded writing sample should be an essay written in English that you submitted as an assignment for a university course. It should include your professor’s comments and the grade you received for the assignment. 

We recommend selecting a sample on a topic that is related to the academic disciplines offered at Bard College Berlin. For the Graded Writing Sample, the Admissions Committee asks applicants to submit an essay or research paper displaying analytical ability rather than a creative writing piece. The Admissions Committee prefers to see writing samples that analyze a text or research a topic, and is primarily interested in seeing the type of writing you have been doing at university, as well as how it was evaluated by your instructor. If you do not have a graded writing sample of this nature, please opt to write the alternative essay. You can request to receive the alternative essay prompts to your email address via this form.

The graded writing assignment must be typed. It must be uploaded as a PDF attachment, and the size of the file should not exceed 500 KB. If you need to reduce the size of your PDF file, you may wish to use a free online service to do so.

Portfolio

Submission of a digital portfolio with samples of personal artwork is required for applicants to the Project Year.
For all other applicants, a creative portfolio is optional.

A portfolio should consist of a collection of materials, such as drawings, paintings, collage, samples of creative writing, video work, or other examples of creative and artistic work by the applicant. Please combine these materials in a single digital file, and upload your portfolio in the "Supplementary Materials" section of the application.

Official University and High School Transcripts

Applicants should arrange to have official university transcripts, as well as their high school records, sent to Bard College Berlin. Transcripts and school records are considered official if they are sent by representatives of the institutions, not the applicants themselves. 

The Admissions Committee will accept transcripts in English or German. If you do not have transcripts in either of these languages, you must have your transcripts officially translated. 

Applicants whose coursework is still in progress should have a record of their most recent grades submitted to Bard College Berlin. Any offer of admission will be conditional upon proof of graduation. 

Schools and universities may also submit official transcripts electronically to [email protected], or have them mailed to the following address:

Admissions Office
Bard College Berlin
Platanenstrasse 24
13156 Berlin
Germany

Two Letters of Recommendation

All applicants are asked to submit at least two academic letters of recommendation as part of their application. Letters should be written by professors/teachers who are familiar with your academic work. The Admissions Committee will accept letters of recommendation in English or German.

In order to request a recommendation letter, you will be able to add your recommenders in the relevant section of the Bard College Berlin Online Form.

When you send a request, the recommender will receive an email with instructions and a link to the application system where they can enter their name and contact information, and submit their letter. Recommenders may upload a letter as a PDF or type a letter directly into the space provided. Alternatively, they can forward their letters directly to [email protected]. 

Please note that there is no required format for the letter of recommendation. If a recommender would like to use a recommendation form, please find the Bard College Berlin recommendation form here:
Download the Recommendation Form >>
 

Interview

The application interview is an optional part of the application process at Bard College Berlin.

However, the Admissions Committee strongly encourages that applicants to Bard College Berlin request an interview after the completion of their application.
The interview will be conducted online, and will take up to 30 minutes.

Proof of English Proficiency (if applicable)

Applicants who are not native English speakers must provide proof of English proficiency at C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

If you are currently enrolled at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction or have completed at least one year of high school courses with full instruction in English, you do not need to submit an English proficiency test result.

Please refer to the table below for an overview of the tests we accept and the required scores. Applicants should arrange to have official test results sent by the testing center to Bard College Berlin.

Bard College Berlin TOEFL Code: 8527
 

Test	Minimum Required Score
IELTS Academic	7.0
Cambridge	CAE (A-C), CPE (A-C)
TOEFL (iBT)	95
TOEFL Essentials	10
Duolingo English Test	120