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Barnard College is a highly selective women's liberal arts college in Manhattan's Morningside Heights and a member of the Seven Sisters, founded in 1889 as the women's affiliate of Columbia University. Barnard students cross-register for Columbia courses, share libraries and resources with the university, and graduate with both a Barnard degree and a Columbia University diploma — a genuinely unique arrangement that combines the intimate scale of a top liberal arts college with the academic depth of an Ivy League research university. Barnard admits women, including transgender women and nonbinary students who were assigned female at birth or who consistently identify as women.
Mascot: Lion
Notable Alumni
Martha Stewart (media mogul and lifestyle icon)•Margaret Mead (pioneering cultural anthropologist)•Zora Neale Hurston (Harlem Renaissance author of Their Eyes Were Watching God)•Greta Gerwig (Oscar-nominated director of Lady Bird and Barbie)•Jhumpa Lahiri (Pulitzer Prize-winning author)
At a Glance
Cost
Published sticker prices for 2025-2026. Actual cost after aid varies.
Top Programs & National Ranking
Approximate national ranking based on departmental rankings, research output, and program reputation.
Highlights
Campus Experience
Barnard's social life is inseparable from Columbia — the two campuses sit across Broadway from each other, clubs and parties are effectively shared, and Barnard students have full run of the Columbia social scene while maintaining their own tight-knit women's-college community. No Greek life, but NYC itself is the real social venue. Bacchanal (the annual spring concert) and Big Sub (an absurd 700-foot sandwich served on the lawn) are beloved traditions. Expect serious feminist intellectual culture, a fiercely independent student body, and the constant pull of Manhattan in every direction.
A compact 4-acre urban campus anchored by the modern glass-and-brick Diana Center, the striking Milstein Teaching and Learning Center, and the open lawn known as "The Lawn" — intimate and genuinely green for Manhattan, though the architecture is a mix of traditional brick and contemporary rather than a unified historic campus.
Based on Niche reviews, Princeton Review surveys, student forums, and institutional data.
Safety
Barnard Public Safety operates 24/7 with gated access at the Broadway entrance, keycard-controlled residence halls, and safety escorts. The compact 4-acre campus is easy to secure, though its urban Manhattan setting means occasional property incidents.
Morningside Heights is a generally safe, active Manhattan neighborhood with constant foot traffic and visible NYPD presence. Students are cautioned about Morningside Park after dark and the blocks north of 125th Street.
Based on Clery Act data, student surveys, and local crime statistics.
Plan Your Visit
Schedule: Weekdays during the academic year; select Saturdays
Duration: ~1.5 hours (info session + student-led tour)
Check in at the Vagelos Admissions Center inside the Milstein Center. Information session led by an admissions officer followed by a student-led walking tour of Barnard's campus. Virtual options available. Registration required.
Book a TourSelf-guided tour map available at the Vagelos Admissions Center in the Milstein Center. Walk through the main gates at 3009 Broadway, see the Diana Center and The Lawn, then cross Broadway to explore Columbia's campus on your own.
Tour ResourcesSeptember-November or March-April when both Barnard and Columbia are in full academic rhythm. Late April brings Bacchanal and Big Sub — the most iconic Barnard tradition. Avoid winter break, summer, and finals weeks when the campus is quiet. Fall foliage on Riverside Drive and in Morningside Park adds real beauty to a visit.
Do NOT drive — this is Manhattan. Take the 1 train to 116th Street-Columbia University and walk one block west to the Barnard gates at 3009 Broadway. The 2/3 express train stops at 96th St or 125th St — transfer to the 1 local. Buses M4, M5, M11, and M104 also serve the neighborhood. Parking garages exist nearby (Pro Park America, Champion) but charge NYC rates and street parking is nearly impossible. From JFK/LGA: ~60-90 min via AirTrain + subway.
Location
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