BPI has been delivering rigorous liberal arts education to students incarcerated in New York State prisons for more than 20 years. The Bard Microcolleges extend BPI’s mission outward into the community, bringing the same ethos of radical inclusivity at a human scale to students in other unexpected settings.
“I think so many more people than we know feel like they’re left out of traditional college experience.”
–Delano Burrowes ’21
Brooklyn
A classroom in the Brooklyn Public Library.
Reimagining the use of a public library and the place of a liberal arts college, Bard at BPL brings full-time, tuition-free college opportunity to the heart of Brooklyn. Students benefit from Brooklyn Public Library’s collection of four million materials, state-of-the-art technology, Business and Career Center, art exhibitions and cultural events, and countless other programs.
Expanding from a shared commitment to democratize access to all kinds of learning, Brooklyn Public Library and the Bard Prison Initiative have created a unique, borough-based college for undergraduates of every age.
Harlem
For New Yorkers of any age who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system — or those aspiring to careers in advocacy, community building or social justice — the Bard Microcollege for Just Community Leadership enrolls students in a full-time academic program culminating in an associate’s degree from Bard College. It is the nation’s first tuition-free college dedicated to advocacy, arts and sciences.
In a crucial moment for criminal justice reform, this Microcollege will deploy the expertise and resources of three leading institutions — BPI, JustLeadershipUSA, and College and Community Fellowship — in a community-based setting to cultivate directly impacted leaders, decision-makers, and advocates of the future.
Holyoke
Microcollege Students at the Care Center in Holyoke.
Bard Microcollege Holyoke is a unique, tuition-free college for women of the Pioneer Valley. Developed in partnership between the Bard Prison Initiative and The Care Center, the microcollege is a community-based opportunity for women to enroll full time at Bard College at no cost.
Program features — including daycare and transportation, academic advising and paid summer internships — are designed to enable students to focus on and explore areas of academic and career interest. Student-led initiatives like peer mentoring and emergency babysitting offer extra support to incoming and parenting students.