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Bard College spreads about 2,465 students across a riverside campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, a rural stretch of New York's Hudson Valley where the river meets the foothills of the Catskills. The setting is the draw: woods, farm fields, and trails give way to dramatic views across the Hudson, and the Fisher Center, a Frank Gehry performing arts hall, anchors a campus that takes the arts seriously. Life here is intimate and self-directed, built around small seminars. The nearby villages of Tivoli and Red Hook give students a low-key off-campus orbit of cafes and community events, with Rhinebeck a short drive south. There's no city within walking distance, so most students lean on the shuttle, bikes, or a car to reach the villages and the river.
Bard requires first-year students and most underclassmen to live on campus, where housing ranges across more than 40 residence halls plus themed living options like the Cruger Village treehouses. New students stay close to the riverside campus.
First-years can request off-campus status only under specific conditions, such as having a permanent home within about 50 miles, being 21 or older, or being married or facing documented circumstances. As students move into the upper college, more of them shift into the nearby villages of Red Hook, Tivoli, and Rhinebeck, all served by the campus shuttle.
The rental stock is rural and often older, so read leases closely for heating setup, because many homes run on oil or propane and winter bills can surprise you. Confirm who maintains the driveway and well or septic where relevant. Standard New York leases apply, with a deposit and first month up front and often a guarantor, since landlords know students lack long rental histories.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Bard College before signing a lease.
Bard's on-campus housing process runs through Residential Life, so underclassmen plan around that rather than a private hunt. Upper-college students moving to the villages should start early, because the rural rental pool around Red Hook, Tivoli, and Rhinebeck is genuinely small and competes with local residents and weekenders. There's no big preleasing rush, so listings trickle out year-round. Scan local listing boards and the Bard housing referral service through late winter and spring.
The best village houses get claimed by early summer, so don't leave it to August. Steady watching beats waiting for a single date, since units in this small market surface one at a time rather than all at once. Spots in walkable Tivoli go quickly. Checking the referral service and local boards regularly through spring is the way to catch the good ones.
Summer sublets open up when students leave, and those can bridge you into a full lease. If the closest villages are full, look a few miles out to Red Hook for more houses at gentler rates. One practical note: build a backup plan for getting to campus, since the shuttle pauses for weather and maintenance. You'll want a reliable way in when it doesn't run.
Resnick Commons and Cruger Village keep you closest to class and the river.
The small village just north is the classic Bard off-campus spot: walkable, artsy, and shuttle-connected.
Red Hook, a few miles out, offers more houses and services at gentler rates, while Rhinebeck, further south, is more polished and the priciest of the three but draws students who want a livelier village.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared house around Tivoli or Red Hook usually runs about $700-$1,100/month per person, and the rural Hudson Valley supply keeps options limited. Tivoli and Red Hook tend to be more reachable, while Rhinebeck sits higher. Whole apartments and small houses cost more since you're covering the full place rather than splitting it.