Private nonprofit · College

Barnard College

New York, New York · Large city

#3 most selective in New York#4 graduation rate in New York
8.8%
Admit rate
$28,800
Avg net price
93%
Graduation rate
$80,516
Median earnings

Barnard College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New York, New York (large city setting), enrolling 3,264 undergraduates. It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,264 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 9% admitCold wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Barnard College's admitted students.

Admit rate
8.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1470–1560
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Barnard College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Barnard College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About New York, New York

New York, often called New York City, is the most populous city in the United States. In the pre-Columbian era, the area of present-day New York City was inhabited by Algonquians, including Munsee-speaking Lenape. New York City is frequently the setting for novels, movies, and television programs and has been described as the cultural capital of the world. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
7 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
5 miles to LaGuardia (LGA) · major hub

How Barnard College compares

View 76 more ranking appearances
#2 · Women's Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #1 · Women's Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates #1 · Women's Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates #19 · Women's Colleges with the Lowest Net Price #4 · Women's Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt #3 · Women's Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #67 · Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #25 · Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Highest Graduation Rates #27 · Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Highest Retention Rates #57 · Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Lowest Student Debt #48 · Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #82 · Test-Optional Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings #26 · Test-Optional Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates #29 · Test-Optional Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates #86 · Test-Optional Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt #58 · Test-Optional Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #42 · Colleges with the Highest First-Year Retention Rates #94 · Colleges with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #41 · Colleges with the Highest Loan Repayment Rates #46 · Colleges with the Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates #1 · Colleges with the Highest Pell Recipient Completion Rates #5 · Colleges with the Highest First-Generation Completion Rates #32 · Colleges with the Largest Average Institutional Grants #57 · Most Racially Diverse Colleges #27 · Colleges with the Highest Average SAT Scores #51 · Colleges with the Highest ACT Midpoint Scores #90 · Colleges Closest to Major Airports #14 · Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings in New York #77 · Colleges with the Lowest Net Price in New York #3 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates in New York #24 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in New York #5 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates in New York #49 · Best Colleges in the Northeast #16 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates in the Northeast #16 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates in the Northeast #44 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in the Northeast #53 · Best Colleges on the East Coast #20 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates on the East Coast #24 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates on the East Coast #59 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt on the East Coast #24 · Best Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic #6 · Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates in the Mid-Atlantic #6 · Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates in the Mid-Atlantic #29 · Colleges with the Lowest Student Debt in the Mid-Atlantic #86 · Colleges with the Highest Earnings Relative to Net Price in the Mid-Atlantic #13 · Colleges with the Highest Former-Student Earnings Near New York, NY #18 · Bachelor's Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #14 · Bachelor's Psychology, General Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #7 · Bachelor's Biology, General Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #75 · Bachelor's Biology, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #12 · Bachelor's Computer and Information Sciences, General Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #49 · Bachelor's Computer and Information Sciences, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #15 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #11 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #97 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #27 · Bachelor's Political Science and Government Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #13 · Bachelor's Economics Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #14 · Bachelor's Economics Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #54 · Bachelor's Economics Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #21 · Bachelor's Economics Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #5 · Bachelor's Fine and Studio Arts Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #59 · Bachelor's Fine and Studio Arts Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #7 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #9 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #42 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #9 · Bachelor's Sociology Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #34 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #19 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #82 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #36 · Bachelor's English Language and Literature, General Programs with the Lowest Debt Relative to Earnings #14 · Bachelor's Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Programs with the Highest Five-Year Earnings #13 · Bachelor's History Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #42 · Bachelor's History Programs with the Lowest Student Debt #31 · Bachelor's Natural Resources Conservation and Research Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #9 · Bachelor's Research and Experimental Psychology Programs with the Highest First-Year Earnings #19 · Bachelor's Research and Experimental Psychology Programs with the Lowest Student Debt
Selectivity8.8%

More selective than 98% · #3 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1520

Higher than 97%

Graduation rate93%

Higher than 97% · #4 of 159 in New York

First-year retention97%

Higher than 94%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$80,516

Higher than 91% · #20 of 133 in New York

Average net price$28,800

Cheaper than 19% · #111 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$18,000

Lower than 84%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment3,264

Larger than 71%

Percentiles compare Barnard College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Student body

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White32%
  • Black5.5%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian22%
  • Other or multiracial26%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,264
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
16%
First-generation students
16%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$66,094
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$143,955
Endowment
$503,444,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
8.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1470–1560
SAT average
1520
SAT reading
730–770
SAT math
740–790
ACT composite
32–34
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$69,888
Room & board
$21,714
Books & supplies
$1,150
Total cost of attendance
$89,538
Average net price
$28,800

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
93%
Graduated on time (4 years)
81%
First-year retention
97%
Transferred to another college
4%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$60,411
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$80,516
Median debt at graduation
$18,000
Students with federal loans
26%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
86%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
81%
Low-income (Pell)
92%
First-generation
91%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,425
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
74%
Housing charge (year)
$12,438
Meal plan (year)
$8,144
Application fee
$75

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
8

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,487 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

4.7reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Rape
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$11,600
$30–48k
$15,374
$48–75k
$19,094
$75–110k
$24,753
$110k+
$51,378

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$80,108

$19,094/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

47%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$52,716
average award, among those who get one

Barnard College discounts heavily: 47% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $52,716. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 698 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$80,516
Typical debt at graduation
$18,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
49.5″
Annual snow
29.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, New York Cntrl PK Twr, NY US station (2.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Barnard College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Barnard College side by side →

Colleges near Barnard College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.