Bard College and You 🎓

While considered a New York City public high school, BHSEC is unique in that Bard College oversees the academic program to ensure that the college course of studies in years three and four at BHSEC meets the requisite standards for Bard College academic credits.    

Bard College awards an Associate in Arts degree to students who successfully complete the two year college program offered at BHSEC, and these 60 college credits are transferable to a wide variety of public and private universities.    

BHSEC students are thus students of a public high school and also students of Bard College, and upon their completion of the early college program are presented as degree candidates to the Bard College Board of Trustees.  The BHSEC schools (BHSEC Manhattan, BHSEC Queens, BHSEC Bronx, and BHSEC Brooklyn) are the only dual degree granting schools in the New York City school system 

In its role overseeing the degree granting program at BHSEC, Bard College appoints the principal (subject to the approval and final appointment by the Chancellor) and oversees the college‐credit bearing classes.   

To ensure that the academic program meets Bard standards, Bard has also become a financial partner for BHSEC, raising approximately 25–30% of the total BHSEC operating budget each year, paying for the salaries of six full time teachers, college adjunct teachers and for student support staff including the college transfer office staff, the office of student activities, the learning center and our admissions program, as well as the College Deans, among other critical activities and supports at the school.