Barnard College
About
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college in New York City, New York, United States. It is affiliated with Columbia University and was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia University's trustees to create an affiliated college named after university president Frederick A. P. Barnard. The college is one of the original Seven Sisters—seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that were historically women's colleges.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 51 Title IV programs, 10 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 41 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing10 · 19.6%
- No Data41 · 80.4%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 3
- Apr 2024Approved for Distance EducationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Jun 2022Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation · Dance (DANCE) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and non-degree-granting programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 642 students received $4.2M in Pell grants, alongside $11.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 274 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.3%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Barnard College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus6
- Public property3
Includes 5 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Barnard College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Barnard College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectBarnard College | 93% | — | 3,487 | $39,253 | Baccalaureate |
| 96% | 5.4% | 11,956 | $26,572 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.0% | 35,173 | $20,148 | R1 Research | |
| 95% | 8.8% | 26,793 | $32,337 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 5.4% | 6,938 | $28,619 | R1 Research | |
| 98% | 3.6% | 30,259 | $16,816 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.5% | 11,886 | $19,813 | R1 Research | |
| 98% | 4.6% | 9,137 | $10,555 | R1 Research | |
| 92% | 3.6% | 18,625 | $12,136 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 4.5% | 18,566 | $18,967 | R1 Research | |
| 97% | 5.4% | 29,109 | $31,229 | R1 Research | |
| 96% | 3.9% | 15,564 | $27,818 | R1 Research | |
| Peer group median | 96% | 4.5% | 17,065 | $23,360 |
Institutions like Barnard College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Barnard College's comparison group.
- R1 ResearchRhode Island
Brown University
Grad rate96%Admit rate5.4%Enrollment11,956Net price$26,572View data - R1 ResearchNew York
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.0%Enrollment35,173Net price$20,148View data - R1 ResearchNew York
Cornell University
Grad rate95%Admit rate8.8%Enrollment26,793Net price$32,337View data - R1 ResearchNew Hampshire
Dartmouth College
Grad rate96%Admit rate5.4%Enrollment6,938Net price$28,619View data - R1 ResearchMassachusetts
Harvard University
Grad rate98%Admit rate3.6%Enrollment30,259Net price$16,816View data - R1 ResearchMassachusetts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.5%Enrollment11,886Net price$19,813View data - R1 ResearchNew Jersey
Princeton University
Grad rate98%Admit rate4.6%Enrollment9,137Net price$10,555View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
Stanford University
Grad rate92%Admit rate3.6%Enrollment18,625Net price$12,136View data - R1 ResearchIllinois
University of Chicago
Grad rate96%Admit rate4.5%Enrollment18,566Net price$18,967View data - R1 ResearchPennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate97%Admit rate5.4%Enrollment29,109Net price$31,229View data - R1 ResearchConnecticut
Yale University
Grad rate96%Admit rate3.9%Enrollment15,564Net price$27,818View data
Barnard College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness provides timely, accurate, and unbiased data and analysis to support strategic planning, evaluation, and organizational effectiveness initiatives within the College. It advocates for the quality, integrity, and appropriate use of College data.
Visit IR office page- John CornwellAssociate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
- Fahimeh BahramiAssociate Director for Institutional Research
Common Data Set
Barnard College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C111,836 applied → 1,046 admitted (8.8%) → 718 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Most selective — 8.8% acceptance rate.
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1480–1540 (median 1510).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 32–34 (median 34).
High-school class rank
C10Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.
Waitlist outcome
C22,055 offered a waitlist spot, 1,567 accepted it, 148 admitted (9.4% of those who stayed on).
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $98,754 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $98,754 → about $31,594 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($67,160); 100% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H10% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H534% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $13,156 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 93%; first-year retention 97%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 2 pts above the overall rate (95% vs 93%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I367% of classes have under 20 students; 8% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~23% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B216% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D11,253 transfer applicants → 252 admitted (20.1%) → 147 enrolled
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookData about Barnard | Barnard College2026The Barnard College Factbook page provides detailed information about various aspects of the institution, including its mission, leadership, academic offerings, community life, and the link with Columbia University. Key sections include data on student enrollment statistics, graduation rates, and faculty information. The page also outlines programs designed to prepare students for their future careers beyond Barnard, illustrates connections with Columbia University, and highlights resources available to students, faculty, and staff. Additional sections cover admissions policies, financial aid offerings, and community engagement initiatives.barnard.edu
Notable alumni of Barnard College (17)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Anne AnastasiPsychology
- Natalie AngierJournalism
- Jacqueline BartonChemistry
- Hazel BishopChemistry
- Martha MeadAnthropology
- Joan RiversEntertainment
- Ntozake ShangeTheater
- Greta GerwigFilm
- Maya Soetoro-NgEducation
- Anna QuindlenJournalism
- Katherine BooJournalism
- Suzanne VegaMusic
Frequently asked questions about Barnard College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Barnard College.
What is the graduation rate at Barnard College?
How many students attend Barnard College?
What is the average net price at Barnard College?
What is the yield rate at Barnard College?
Where is Barnard College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Barnard College?
Have a question this page can’t answer?
Ask Clema anything about Barnard College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card