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Barnard College
Formal Seal of Barnard College, New York City, USA.svg
Latin: Barnardi Collegium
Motto Ἑπομένη τῷ λογισμῷ (Greek)
Hepomene toi logismoi
Motto in English
 Following the Way of Reason
Type Private women's liberal arts college
Established 1889; 136 years ago (1889)
Parent institution
 Columbia University
Academic affiliations
Endowment $447 million (2022)
President Laura Rosenbury
Academic staff
 388 (Fall 2022)
Undergraduates 3,442 (Fall 2022)
Location
New York City
,
New York
,
United States

40°48′35″N 73°57′49″W / 40.8096°N 73.9635°W / 40.8096; -73.9635
Campus Urban
Colors Blue and white
        
Sporting affiliations
 NCAA Division I – Ivy League
(consortium with Columbia University)
Mascot Millie the Bear
Barnard College logo.jpeg

Barnard College, also known as Barnard College, Columbia University, is a private college just for women. It is a liberal arts college, which means it focuses on a wide range of subjects like humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Barnard is located in New York City, in an area called Manhattan.

It was started in 1889 by a group of women, led by a student named Annie Nathan Meyer. They asked the leaders of Columbia University to create a college for women. The college was named after Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, who used to be the president of Columbia. Barnard College is one of the original Seven Sisters, which were seven famous women's colleges in the northeastern United States.

Today, Barnard is one of four colleges at Columbia University for undergraduate students. It has its own admissions, classes, and money. However, Barnard students can take classes, use libraries, join clubs, and play sports with students from Columbia University. This is special because Barnard is the only women's college where students can compete in top-level college sports (NCAA Division I). When students graduate from Barnard, they receive a diploma from Columbia University.

Barnard offers many different study programs, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. Students can also take some classes at other famous New York City schools like the Juilliard School for music and drama. The college campus is about 4 acres big and is in Morningside Heights, Manhattan. It is right across the street from Columbia's main campus. Many Barnard graduates have become important leaders in science, politics, medicine, and the arts, winning major awards like the Pulitzer Prize.

History of Barnard College

How Barnard College Started

Members of the Barnard class of 1913
The front of Barnard Hall

For a long time, Columbia University only accepted men for undergraduate studies. Barnard College was created in 1889 because Columbia would not admit women. The first classes were held in a rented building with 36 students and six teachers.

The college was named after Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard. He was a teacher and mathematician who was president of Columbia for over 20 years. He believed that women should be allowed to study alongside men. In 1879, he suggested that Columbia admit women, but the university's leaders said no.

However, in 1883, Columbia agreed to offer a special program where women could earn degrees. The first woman graduated in 1887. Later, Annie Nathan Meyer, who had been a student in that program, and other important women in New York convinced Columbia's leaders to create a women's college connected to Columbia.

Early Campus and Growth

When Columbia University decided to move to a new area called Morningside Heights in 1892, Barnard College also built a new campus nearby. This was possible thanks to gifts from people like Mary E. Brinckerhoff, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson, and Martha Fiske.

The first buildings on the new campus, Milbank, Brinckerhoff, and Fiske Halls, were built in 1897–1898. Classes started there in 1897. Later, other important buildings like Brooks Hall (1906–1908) and Hewitt Hall (1926–1927) were added. Students' Hall, now called Barnard Hall, was built in 1916.

By the middle of the 1900s, Barnard was very successful at giving women a great education. It was one of the top colleges for women who went on to earn advanced degrees. In the 1970s, there was pressure for Barnard to merge with Columbia College, but Barnard's president, Jacquelyn Mattfeld, strongly opposed it.

Barnard College Presidents

Here are the leaders of Barnard College from when it started until now:

Laura Rosenbury
Laura A. Rosenbury, the current president of Barnard College
  • Ella Weed (1889–1894)
  • Emily James Smith Putnam (1894–1900)
  • Laura Drake Gill (1901–1907)
  • Virginia Gildersleeve (1911–1947)
  • Millicent McIntosh (1947–1962)
  • Rosemary Park (1962–1967)
  • Martha Peterson (1967–1975)
  • Jacquelyn Mattfeld (1976–1980)
  • Ellen V. Futter (1980–1993)
  • Judith R. Shapiro (1994–2008)
  • Debora L. Spar (2008–2017)
  • Sian Beilock (2017–2023)
  • Laura Rosenbury (2023–present)

What Students Study

Academic Programs

Barnard students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in about 50 different subjects. They can also join special programs with Columbia University, the Juilliard School, and The Jewish Theological Seminary to earn other degrees.

Some of the most popular subjects for students who graduated in 2021 were:

  • Economics (how money and resources work)
  • Psychology (the study of the mind)
  • History
  • English Language and Literature
  • Political Science and Government
  • Neuroscience (the study of the brain)
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation

Barnard has general education requirements called "Foundations." Students must take classes in sciences, learn a foreign language, and take courses in arts, humanities, and social sciences. They also need to take classes that help them develop "Modes of Thinking."

How to Get Admitted

Barnard College is known for being very hard to get into. It is the most selective women's college in the United States. In 2017, it had the lowest acceptance rate among the Seven Sisters colleges that still only admit women.

For the class that started in 2026, only 8% of the more than 12,000 students who applied were accepted. This was the lowest acceptance rate in the college's history. Students who got in generally had very high test scores.

In 2015, Barnard announced that it would accept transgender women. These are students who live and identify as women, no matter what gender they were assigned at birth. The college also continues to support students who transition to male after they have already been admitted.

Barnard also practices "need-blind admission" for first-year students from the U.S. This means they do not look at how much money a student's family has when deciding whether to admit them.

College Rankings

Barnard College is highly ranked among U.S. liberal arts colleges.

Campus Life

Library and Special Collections

Milstein front
The Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning

Barnard students can use the libraries at Columbia University, but Barnard also has its own library. The Barnard Library includes special collections and archives. These materials tell the story of Barnard's history from when it was founded until today. One special collection includes the papers of the famous writer Ntozake Shange.

Zine Collection

The Barnard Zine Library is part of the Barnard Library. Zines are like small, self-published magazines, often made by hand. This collection focuses on topics important to women, queer people, and people of color. In 2004, it became the first zine library in the U.S. to be fully cataloged. It has about 5,000 zines and opened for students to borrow in 2008.

Student Activities

Student Organizations

College life in 1923
A 1902 picture of a "modern" Barnard woman
The Barnard Bear, called Millie the Dancing Bear by students

Every Barnard student is part of the Student Government Association (SGA). This group has elected student leaders who work to share student opinions on college matters.

Students can join many different groups. These include theater and music groups, language clubs, and student magazines. There is also a radio station called WBAR and a newspaper called the Barnard Bulletin. Students can also join community service groups and other clubs.

Barnard students can also join most clubs and activities at Columbia University. In return, Columbia students can join most Barnard organizations. The McIntosh Activities Council (McAC) at Barnard plans fun events for students, like Big Sub and Midnight Breakfast.

Sororities

Barnard students can join sororities, which are social organizations for college students. As of 2010, Barnard College does not fully recognize the national sororities at Columbia. However, it does help provide some money for Barnard students who live in Columbia housing through these groups.

College Traditions

  • Barnard Greek Games: This is one of Barnard's oldest traditions, started in 1903. It involves friendly competitions between each graduating class. Events have included Greek poetry, dancing, and a torch race.
  • Take Back the Night: Every April, Barnard and Columbia students take part in the Take Back the Night march. This event raises awareness about violence and supports survivors. It started in 1988 and has grown to include thousands of participants.
  • Midnight Breakfast: This fun event marks the start of finals week. The student activities council, McAC, hosts it. College leaders and professors serve breakfast food to about a thousand students. Each year has a different theme, and the menu often matches it.
  • Big Sub: At the beginning of each fall semester, Barnard College provides a giant sandwich that is over 700 feet long! Students can take as much of the sub as they want. The sub has different sections, including kosher, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. This event is also organized by McAC.

Relationship with Columbia University

Greek Games statue
The front gates read "Barnard College of Columbia University"

The connection between Barnard College and Columbia University can seem a bit confusing. Barnard's president once said in 2012 that it is "a unique one and one that may take a few sentences to explain."

Many people, like The New York Times, describe Barnard as "an undergraduate women's college of Columbia University." The front gates of Barnard College even say "Barnard College of Columbia University."

Barnard explains that it is both an independent school and an official college of Columbia University. This means it has its own leaders and money, but it is also part of the larger university. Barnard advises students to write "Barnard College, Columbia University" on their résumés.

Columbia University describes Barnard as a partner institution. Both colleges work together to decide which teachers get permanent jobs (called tenure). When Barnard students graduate, they receive diplomas from Columbia University, signed by both the Barnard and Columbia presidents.

Sharing Resources

Barnard and Columbia have always shared resources. By 1900, Barnard students could take classes at Columbia in subjects like philosophy and science. In 1973, the two schools agreed to share classrooms, facilities, and housing even more. This was called "integration without assimilation," meaning they would work together without Barnard losing its identity.

In 1982, Columbia College, which had only admitted men, decided to start admitting women. This was a big change. Even after this, the strong connection between Barnard and Columbia continued.

Today, Barnard pays Columbia about $5 million each year for their partnership. Barnard is legally and financially separate from Columbia. It handles its own admissions, health services, and career help. It also has its own group for graduates.

However, Barnard students can join in the academic, social, sports, and club life of Columbia University. For example, only Barnard has an urban studies department, and only Columbia has a computer science department. Most classes at both schools are open to students from the other. Barnard students and teachers are part of the University Senate, and student groups like the Columbia Daily Spectator are open to all students.

Barnard athletes play on Columbia sports teams. They compete in the Ivy League (NCAA Division I) through the Columbia/Barnard Athletic Consortium, which started in 1983. This makes Barnard the only women's college that offers top-level college sports. Before 1983, Barnard students competed as the "Barnard Bears."

Famous People from Barnard

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Barnard College people.

Many famous and successful people have graduated from Barnard College. They have become leaders in science, politics, medicine, law, education, and the arts.

Some notable graduates include:

Images for kids

See also

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