Applying to Barnard

The Essential Information

Who do we look for in building a class?

The Committee on Admissions selects young women of proven academic strength who exhibit intellectual voracity and strong potential for further scholarly growth. In addition to school records, recommendations, writing, and test scores, the candidates' talents, abilities, interests, and personal history are given careful consideration. While admission is highly selective, it is also holistic; no one criterion or score determines acceptance. Each applicant is considered in terms of her personal qualities, her intellectual capacity and the rigor of the curriculum she has pursued, as well as her potential for achieving at Barnard. And, each applicant is reviewed in the context of her school, community, and individual story.

How should I best prepare for admission to Barnard?

To be well-prepared for a college like Barnard, it is important to think about the academic community you are hoping to join. Barnard's general education requirements, The Nine Ways of Knowing, cover a wide range of subjects. Barnard students study subjects ranging from literature, the social sciences, language and the arts to lab sciences and the quantitative areas. For this reason, it is important to prepare a strong foundation in high school, taking courses from the core academic subjects: math, science, English, history and foreign language. Do your best to take the most rigorous classes available to you in which you can do your best work. If an area is a relative weakness, continue taking that subject while pursuing advanced coursework in areas of relative strength. Remember, we hope to see how you might contribute to our intellectual community, your choices tell us what kind of a student you will be.

Outside of the classroom, to best prepare for Barnard, we suggest pursing activities that interest you most. Our recommendation follows this reasoning: if you love doing something, it logically follows that you have approached this activity to some depth, by taking some initiative or new direction, and have, hopefully, been able to explore opportunities for leadership within the activity. Barnard admissions has no formula that you must follow to be the perfect candidate for admission, but do remember that we are hoping to see you as a member of our community outside the classroom as well.

Non-Discrimination Policy Statement

Barnard College admits students without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability.  In accordance with its own values and with federal, state, and city statutes and regulations, Barnard does not discriminate in employment programs or educational programs and services on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.  Barnard College is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, 5624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215/662-5606.  The Commission on Higher education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.  The Title IX Director has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:  212/854-0037, located in 105 Millbank Hall.