The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in America.
Students First
BPI students embark on a course of study that matches the breadth and intensity of the Bard College curriculum, as well as their own ambitions.
There is no one set of criteria for admission. Instead, the admissions process itself offers applicants the chance to demonstrate why and how they would flourish in a rigorous academic environment.
Place Based
BPI establishes independent college campuses in what many would consider the least likely places. These campuses highlight the core of the educational experience and their influence extends far beyond the classroom.
In every location where we operate, BPI shares the aspirations of the College as an institution of higher learning dedicated to liberal arts education.
A Teaching College
BPI invests in seminar-style classes taught by renowned college faculty. They are skilled at creating learning environments that challenge students, connect them to the world, and make them visible to themselves and each other.
The experience is both remarkably similar to and strikingly different from teaching on conventional campuses.
Lifelong Connectivity
BPI affirms the self-determination of students throughout their enrollment so they can carry forward their liberal arts degree into long-term plans.
Students receive one-on-one advising, participate in cohort-based workshops, and engage in a holistic suite of reentry and alumni supports that forge a deep and lasting connection with the college and fellow alumni.
In prison and beyond, BPI seeks students whose curiosity, ambition, and intellectual hunger will fuel their stamina over the course of many challenging semesters of study.
All students enroll in Bard College courses, earn Bard College credits, and graduate with Bard College degrees.
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“Bringing the traditions of college into a prison is transformative, giving the people within the opportunity to reinvent themselves and change their life’s trajectory.”
—Reynaldo Perez ’21
College Behind Bars
The four-part Emmy-nominated documentary College Behind Bars shares an intimate look at the lives and experiences of a dozen BPI students and their families. The documentary confronts and challenges conventional wisdom about the purpose of both education and incarceration.
College Behind Bars premiered on PBS, streamed on Netflix, and contributed to a national conversation that spoke to the history and implications of mass incarceration in the United States. The film makes the human dimension of mass incarceration visible, promotes equitable access to education, and continues to support policy conversations.
Learn More & How to Watch
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Your Impact
At BPI, we invest in people, reinvent institutions, and make genuine education more accessible. Your support makes this possible and will help BPI continue the groundbreaking work to redefine college access and address the harms of mass incarceration. Become a BPI supporter today and join a distinguished community that believes in the power of education.
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