Barnard College

Private · Elite · NY

Photo: Beyond My Ken (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads3,264

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate80.9%

6-yr grad rate93%

Drop-out rate3.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$70k

Out-of-state tuition$70k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity67.7%

Gender diversity100%

International15.6%

Identity—

Overview

Barnard is a women's liberal-arts college in Manhattan, partnered with Columbia University across the street — students cross-register freely, share some housing and dining, and graduates earn a Columbia-sealed degree, while Barnard maintains its own faculty, admissions, endowment, and campus. That dual identity, a small independent women's college fused to a major research university, is the defining fact of attending Barnard.

Academics

English, psychology, economics, and dance are particular strengths, and the Columbia partnership gives Barnard students access to a much larger course catalog, library system, and faculty roster than a school its size would otherwise offer. The dual identity — small-college advising and attention, large-university resources — is central to the academic experience, and Barnard students can major in Columbia departments and vice versa.

Campus & student life

Barnard's culture is urban and independent-minded, shaped by its Manhattan location and by the college's history and continued identity as a women's college in a city that never really stops. Students live and socialize across both the Barnard and Columbia campuses, giving them a foot in a small, close community and a much larger one at once, and Riverside Park and the rest of the Upper West Side function as an extension of campus.

Getting in

Barnard's process is holistic and distinct from Columbia's despite the shared degree and campus — applicants apply to Barnard specifically and are evaluated by Barnard's own admissions office. The college looks for students who value both a women's college identity and access to a major research university, and essays that speak to that specific fit tend to stand out.

After graduation

Graduates move strongly into media, law, medicine, and the arts, aided by Barnard and Columbia's shared New York City location and a notably engaged alumnae network that includes prominent figures across journalism, entertainment, and public life. The Columbia degree seal helps graduates in fields where that name recognition carries weight.

Worth knowing

A Barnard degree carries the Columbia University seal, and cross-registration is a genuine, heavily used feature of the arrangement rather than a nominal one — many Barnard students take a majority of upper-level courses in Columbia departments. Barnard remains a women's college by choice, not a historical leftover, and that identity is actively maintained.

barnard.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate8.8%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1470–1560 · ACT 32–34

Test policyoptional

Rec letters3

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 1

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or QuestBridge.

Barnard's Early Decision is binding: if admitted, you agree to enroll at Barnard and withdraw applications to other colleges.

Interviews: Barnard does not offer admissions interviews, though applicants may optionally submit a short Glimpse video, and international applicants may submit an InitialView or Vericant interview.

Supplemental essays (2)

At Barnard, inquiry starts with asking bold questions about the world. What is one bold question on your mind and what about it piques your curiosity?
50 words · Required
Barnard College is shaped by trailblazing women with a multitude of perspectives. Think of a woman - historical, fictional, contemporary, or personally significant - whose views or approach to problem-solving differ from your own, but who excels at bringing people together. What lesson from her approach would shape how you show up at Barnard both inside and outside of the classroom?
250 words · Required · Page gives a 200-250 word range

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗