More selective than 99% of New York colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $89,538. College Scorecard.
Higher than 98% of New York colleges we cover and 97% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 86% of New York colleges we cover and 93% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Barnard College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,803 applicants, Barnard College admitted 940 and 711 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1560 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Barnard College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: New York residents may qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): up to $5,665 a year toward tuition at eligible New York colleges, for dependent students with New York net taxable family income up to $125,000. Not included in the prices above. New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
What Barnard College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Barnard College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New York. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,600 | $48,488 | 1.1 years |
| $30–48k | $15,374 | $64,263 | 1.4 years |
| $48–75k | $19,094 | $79,813 | 1.7 years |
| $75–110k | $24,753 | $103,468 | 2.3 years |
| $110k+ | $51,378 | $214,760 | 4.7 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (77% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($80,516) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $45,883 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Barnard College majors, earnings & careers
Barnard College offers 49 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 15
- Science & Math · 15
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Engineering · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Barnard College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $111,909 | $16,750 |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | $79,807 | $19,000 |
| Sociology | $77,821 | $15,899 |
| Political Science | $77,805 | $19,000 |
| Biology | $75,696 | $16,635 |
| Neuroscience | $66,787 | $17,491 |
| Area Studies | $66,117 | $19,000 |
| Psychology (Research) | $65,644 | $17,000 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies$66,117
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$75,696
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemistry—
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Classics—
- Cognitive Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Dance—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$111,909
- Education—
- English$61,327
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- German—
- History$62,258
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Mathematics and Statistics, Other—
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience$66,787
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology—
- Political Science$77,805
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)$65,644
- Public Policy Analysis—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$77,821
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Urban Studies / Affairs$79,807
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in New York
Overall prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,971. Housing costs 49% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 30 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, New York County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
New York County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Barnard College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in New York by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard College | 9% | $28,800 | 93% | $80,516 | This school |
| Colgate University | 14% | $28,786 | 91% | $85,139 | |
| Hamilton College | 14% | $28,985 | 91% | $78,411 | |
| Vassar College | 19% | $39,343 | 91% | $71,366 | |
| The Juilliard School | 9% | $43,571 | 93% | $37,827 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Barnard College would cost you $14 more per year than Colgate University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Barnard College, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$3,792).
- Barnard College gives aided families $2,454 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New York resident | Barnard College | Colgate University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $69,888 | $70,306 | −$418 |
| Books & supplies | $1,150 | $1,524 | −$374 |
| Housing & meals | $20,582 | $16,790 | +$3,792 |
| Personal & travel | $1,830 | $1,732 | +$98 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,912 | −$3,282 | −$630 |
| Sticker price | $89,538 | $87,070 | +$2,468 |
| Average grants | −$60,738 | −$58,284 | −$2,454 |
| You pay | $28,800 | $28,786 | +$14 |
“+” means Barnard College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Barnard College
What is the Barnard College acceptance rate?
Barnard College accepts 9% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 940 of 11,803 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1560 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
How much does Barnard College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $89,538 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,800 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,600 and families earning $110k+ pay $51,378.
How much do Barnard College graduates earn?
Former Barnard College students earn a median $80,516 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Barnard College graduation rate?
93% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for their second year.
How long does a Barnard College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Barnard College costs about $79,813 after grants ($19,094 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $80,516 ten years after starting, $45,883 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in 1.7 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Barnard College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/barnard-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).