Admit rate has ranged 8%–14% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Barnard College is a fiercely selective women's liberal arts college with the intellectual firepower of Columbia University and the intimate community of a small campus. Known for its powerhouse programs in psychology, economics, and English, Barnard offers students the rare combination of rigorous academics, a tight-knit feminist community, and unfettered access to New York City. With a 93% graduation rate and graduates earning $79,860 within five years, this is where ambitious women come to launch careers at the intersection of Ivy League prestige and urban opportunity.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Letters of recommendation
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Grade point average
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
3,264
In-state tuition
$69,888
Out-of-state tuition
$69,888
Acceptance Rate
8.84%
Mid-Career Earnings
$79,860
Student-Faculty Ratio
9:1
4-Year Graduation Rate
84%
6-Year Graduation Rate
93%
Average Need-Based Aid Package
$69,370
Post-Grad Employment/Grad School Rate
91% within 6 months
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$80,516
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.8×
Median debt at graduation
$18,000
Graduation rate
93%
First-year retention
97%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
87%
Pell (lower-income) share
46%
First-generation share
16%
Endowment / student
$154,241
Financial health
2.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Economics$70,456
Sociology$50,856
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$49,646
Psychology, General$48,432
Political Science and Government$47,846
English Language and Literature, General$41,937
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
1
Per 1,000 students
0.31
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
90
Summer high
83°F
Winter low
29°F
Annual rain
54.3"
Annual snow
19.2"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
216
Scholarly works
8,244
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
3.5%
Bottom → top quintile
53%
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Barnard College?
Barnard College's acceptance rate is approximately 9% (New York, NY), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Barnard College?
Admitted students at Barnard College typically score 1470–1560 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Barnard College cost?
At Barnard College, the average net price (after aid) is about $28,800 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Barnard College?
Barnard College enrolls approximately 3,264 undergraduate students.
Where is Barnard College located?
Barnard College is located in New York, NY.
Admissions
Barnard's admissions process is among the most selective in women's higher education, with an 8.84% Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. for the 2024-2025 cycle. The middle 50% of admitted students scored between 1480-1540 on the SAT and 32-34 on the ACT, with 94% ranking in the top 10% of their high school class. Early Decision applicants comprise 56% of the incoming class, suggesting that demonstrated interest significantly impacts outcomes. The college emphasizes Holistic admissionsA review that weighs the whole applicant — grades, essays, activities, and context — rather than relying on test scores and GPA alone. but maintains exceptionally high academic standards—the admitted class of 2028 had a median GPA that suggests nearly perfect high school records.
Barnard's academic identity blends the intensity of a top-tier research university (via its Columbia affiliation) with the mentorship-focused pedagogy of a liberal arts college. The most popular majors reveal its dual personality: psychology, economics, and computer science attract pre-professional students, while English and political science dominate the humanities. The curriculum requires First-Year Writing and First-Year Seminar courses, ensuring all students develop strong analytical voices. Faculty accessibility is a hallmark—with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio and no graduate teaching assistants leading courses, undergrads regularly collaborate with professors on research. The Columbia cross-registration system allows Barnard students to tap into Ivy League resources while maintaining their own identity through Barnard's distinctive general education requirements.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Fine and Studio Arts
$41,789
Area Studies$39,648
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
From bottom quintile
7%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Life at Barnard oscillates between the cozy quad of its 4-acre campus and the electric chaos of Manhattan. Students describe a culture of 'supportive intensity'—competitive but not cutthroat, with traditions like Midnight Breakfast during finals fostering camaraderie. Over 50 student-run clubs operate through Barnard's Governing Board, while access to Columbia's 500+ organizations expands options further. The residential experience is tightly knit, with 90% of students living on campus in dorms known for their feminist programming. NYC becomes an extension of campus: internships at Morgan Stanley or the Met start sophomore year, and the 1 train whisks students downtown for impromptu museum visits or Broadway shows. The Barnard-Columbia dynamic creates some social friction initially ('stares at frat parties,' per Reddit), but most students navigate both worlds fluidly by junior year.
Barnard's outcomes reflect its academic rigor and NYC adjacency: 93% graduate within six years (84% in four years), and 91% secure employment or graduate school placement within six months. The college's Beyond Barnard office leverages its corporate and cultural partnerships aggressively—median earnings hit $48,946 initially, soaring to $79,860 within five years (well above the national average). Economics majors fare particularly well, averaging $65,217 early-career salaries. About 30% of graduates immediately pursue advanced degrees, with law, medicine, and Ivy League PhD programs as common destinations. The alumnae network is famously loyal, with Barnard graduates overrepresented in publishing, arts administration, and finance leadership roles.
With a sticker price nearing $100,000 annually, Barnard is among the most expensive liberal arts colleges—but its Need-based aidFinancial aid awarded based on your family's ability to pay, as measured by forms like the FAFSA, rather than on achievements. program is equally robust. The average Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. after grants and scholarships is $26,407, with 33% of students receiving aid packages averaging $69,370. The college meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans for families earning under $60,000, using a combination of grants and work-study. Notably, Barnard awards no merit scholarships, maintaining a strict commitment to need-based assistance. Middle-income families often face the toughest squeeze, as the aid formula expects significant contributions from households earning $150,000+. The MyinTuition calculator provides surprisingly accurate estimates, with many students reporting their final aid packages matched the tool's projections.
Barnard occupies a singular niche: it's the only women's college embedded in an Ivy League university, offering students both the empowerment of a feminist institution and the resources of Columbia. This duality manifests everywhere—from classrooms where students debate Virginia Woolf one hour and present at Columbia engineering labs the next, to career paths that merge Barnard's strong arts training with Wall Street opportunities. The college cultivates a particular breed of graduate: intellectually fearless, politically engaged, and fluent in both seminar-style discourse and corporate boardroom dynamics. While the campus feels sheltered, the curriculum pushes students into NYC as a living classroom—whether through economics research at the Federal Reserve or dance performances at Lincoln Center. For women who want rigorous academics without sacrificing urban energy or feminist community, Barnard remains peerless.
Barnard College logo · sourceBarnard College, The Milstein Center / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | ArchDaily · sourcePictures of Barnard College: Campus Photo Tour · sourceBarnard College Moves Ahead with New Teaching and Learning Center Designed by SOM | 6sqft · source
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