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Barnard College
With a 8.8% admission rate, no GPA makes Barnard College a safety. The numbers below tell you what the admitted few look like.
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Barnard College sits in New York proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. Barnard College enrolls women only — one of the few remaining single-sex campuses in the country.
Its highest-earning path is Economics, where graduates median $111,909 four years out. 15.9% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 3,264 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 96.6% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1453 and 1550 — above the NY middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Barnard College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Barnard College received 11,803 applications and admitted 940 (8%), with 711 enrolling.
You can apply to Barnard College without scores. Among admitted students who did submit, the middle half landed between 1453 and 1550; applicants below that range often simply apply without them.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 723 | 750 | 770 |
| SAT Math | 730 | 760 | 780 |
| ACT Composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Barnard College compares
| Barnard College | New York median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 8.8% | 70.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $69,888 | $17,408 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $80,516 | $60,236 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Barnard College: $80,516 median at year ten, versus $60,236 across New York institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $69,888 regardless of where you're from. At Barnard College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
At 3,264 undergrads, Barnard College is a mid-sized campus by U.S. standards.
93% of Barnard College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 38.2 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $69,888 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Barnard College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Economics | $111,909 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | $79,807 |
| Sociology | $77,821 |
| Political Science and Government | $77,805 |
| Biology, General | $75,696 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | $66,787 |
| Area Studies | $66,117 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $65,644 |
| History | $62,258 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $61,327 |
Median earnings for these 10 Barnard College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $80,516 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 39 additional Barnard College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Barnard College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1453–1550 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 8.8% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Barnard College's acceptance rate?
8% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 940 admitted from 11,803 applicants.
How much does Barnard College cost?
At Barnard College, published tuition is $69,888 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Barnard College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Barnard College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $80,516 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in New York
- Circle in the Square Theatre School — 8% admitted
- Colgate University — 13.9% admitted
- Columbia University in the City of New York — 4% admitted
- Cornell University — 8.8% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.