Barnard College
Barnard College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Barnard College Featured Rankings
- #2 Best Small Colleges in New York 2026
- #3 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in New York
- #7 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #9 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #9 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #9 Best Private Colleges in New York 2026
- #10 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #11 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #14 Best Colleges in New York 2026
- #14 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #37 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #40 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
About Barnard College
In brief
Barnard College, in New York City, was founded in 1889 as a women’s college associated with Columbia University, and it remains a women’s college today. Its graduates receive diplomas signed by the presidents of both Barnard and Columbia. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #102 in the United States and #301 in the world. It admitted 8.8% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1515 and a median ACT score of 33.
Its most popular programs are in the social sciences, the biological and biomedical sciences, and English.
Where Barnard’s influence is strongest
Barnard’s influence is led by literature and anthropology. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Literature: #38 in the US (#104 in the world)
- Anthropology: #42
- Sociology: #60
- Economics: #66
- Communications: #70
Its highest-ranked specialties in our data are:
- #5 in the US: computational chemistry
- #8: urban studies
- #9: normative ethics
- #10: differential topology
By comparison, Barnard sits further back in biology (#155) and earth sciences (#149).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
Barnard is associated with two Nobel laureates, the poet Gabriela Mistral and the peace activist Leymah Gbowee. Its alumnae and faculty also include the anthropologists Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict, the writers Zora Neale Hurston, Patricia Highsmith, and Jhumpa Lahiri, the historian of religion Elaine Pagels, the choreographer Twyla Tharp, the musician Laurie Anderson, the economist Anna J. Schwartz, and the actor Cynthia Nixon. Our full lists of Barnard’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is Barnard hard to get into? Yes. It admitted 8.8% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 730–770 on the SAT reading section and 740–790 on math.
What does Barnard cost after financial aid? Tuition is $73,033 for 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $9,628 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $9,628 for incomes of $48,000–$75,000 to $59,926 for incomes above $110,000.
How do Barnard graduates do? 91.7% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 97% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $98,280.
What is Barnard best known for academically? By our influence data: literature, anthropology, and sociology, plus computational chemistry, where it ranks fifth in the country.
According to Wikipedia, Barnard College, officially titled as Barnard College, Columbia University, is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It 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 Columbia's recently deceased 10th 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.
Barnard College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,803 | 9% | 97% | 92% | 1515 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Barnard College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $73,033 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $18,022 |
| 30K - 48K | $11,372 |
| 48K - 75K | $9,628 |
| 75K - 110K | $26,883 |
| 110K+ | $59,926 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Barnard College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Barnard College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $98,280 a year, and 92% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Barnard College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 3,711 | 3,711 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Barnard College?
Barnard College is located at 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027-6598.
How Safe is Barnard College?
Barnard College reported 0.9 violent and property offenses on campus per 1,000 students in 2024, fewer than most midsize residential campuses. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Barnard College has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property crime rate of 0.06%. New York has a violent crime rate of 0.69% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.42%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Barnard College Known For?
Barnard College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Economics
- Education
- Political Science
- History
- Business
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Religious Studies
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Biology
Barnard College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Barnard College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Barnard College ranks #38 in the U.S. and #104 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesBarnard College ranks #42 in the U.S. and #119 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesBarnard College ranks #60 in the U.S. and #174 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesBarnard College ranks #66 in the U.S. and #249 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesBarnard College ranks #72 in the U.S. and #223 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesBarnard College ranks #93 in the U.S. and #313 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesBarnard College ranks #97 in the U.S. and #256 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesBarnard College ranks #104 in the U.S. and #281 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesBarnard College ranks #106 in the U.S. and #220 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesBarnard College ranks #109 in the U.S. and #347 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesBarnard College ranks #112 in the U.S. and #453 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesBarnard College ranks #118 in the U.S. and #515 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesBarnard College ranks #119 in the U.S. and #451 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesBarnard College ranks #132 in the U.S. and #598 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesBarnard College ranks #143 in the U.S. and #534 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesBarnard College ranks #155 in the U.S. and #524 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWho Are Barnard College's Most Influential Alumni?
Barnard College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Anthropology, Literature, and Social Work. Here are some of Barnard College's most famous alumni:
- Margaret Mead
- An American anthropologist.
- Anna Schwartz
- An American economist.
- Jeane Kirkpatrick
- An American diplomat and Presidential advisor .
- Zora Neale Hurston
- An African American folklorist, novelist, short story writer, and Civic Rights advocate .
- Ellen Willis
- An American writer.
- Carol Dweck
- An American psychologist.
- Twyla Tharp
- An American dancer and choreographer.
- Judith Jarvis Thomson
- An American philosopher .
- Rebecca Goldstein
- An American novelist, short story writer, biographer, philosopher.
- Jean Houston
- A Researcher, author, and academic.
- Edwidge Danticat
- A Novelist, short story writer, memoirist.
- Marjorie Perloff
- An American academic.
Who Are Barnard College's Most Influential Faculty?
Barnard College's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Anthropology, Literature, and Social Work. Here are some of Barnard College's most famous faculty:
- Sian Beilock
- A Professor of Psychology.
- Cathy O'Neil
- An American mathematician.
- Annie Baker
- An American author and playwright.
- Séverine Autesserre
- A Peace and conflict researcher.
- Cynthia Fuchs Epstein
- An American sociologist.
- Camille A. Brown
- An American dancer.
- Ashley Tuttle
- An American ballet dancer.
- Julia Leigh
- An Australian writer, film director and screen writer.
- Kimberly Marten
- A Professor of Political Science at Barnard College.
- Judith Weisenfeld
- An American scholar of religion.
- Lorraine Minnite
- An American political scientist.
- Sean Singer
- An American poet.
