What's so special about Barnard?

Barnard College is special for offering a rigorous women's liberal arts education within Columbia University's resources, combining the supportive, intimate environment of a women's college with the vast opportunities of NYC and a major research university, featuring flexible interdisciplinary studies, strong faculty mentorship, and unique curriculum modes like a technology requirement. It provides a close-knit community, excellent advising, and career support, all while being deeply connected to Columbia's academic and social life.

What makes Barnard College unique?

Founded in 1889, the College was the first in New York City–and one of the few in the country–where women could receive the same rigorous liberal arts education available to men.

Is Barnard basically an ivy?

Barnard isn't officially an Ivy League member (that's Columbia), but it's academically and practically an extension, functioning like an elite women's college within the Ivy system, with students taking Columbia classes, playing on Columbia sports teams, and graduating with a Columbia degree, making it feel like an Ivy for most purposes. It's a distinct, independent college with its own admissions, finances, and curriculum but shares Columbia's campus and resources, often considered a "Hidden Ivy" or part of the Columbia umbrella. 

Can I say I went to Columbia if I went to Barnard?

Yes, Barnard students can say they go to Columbia because they are part of the Columbia University system, take classes at Columbia, participate in its sports, get Columbia email addresses, and graduate with a Columbia University diploma, but they often specify "Barnard" for clarity as it's an independent women's college with its own campus and administration, but deeply intertwined with Columbia. 

What is Barnard famous for?

Barnard College is known for offering a prestigious women's liberal arts education with the unique advantage of full access to Columbia University's Ivy League resources in New York City, blending a close-knit community with a major research university's scope. It's celebrated for empowering women, strong research opportunities, interdisciplinary study (like its Nine Ways of Knowing curriculum), and a rich history of notable alumnae in fields from literature (Zora Neale Hurston) to arts (Martha Stewart, Twyla Tharp). 

What I learned at Barnard College

Is it harder to get into Barnard or NYU?

While both are highly selective, NYU often appears slightly harder to get into based on recent acceptance rates (around 8-9% for NYU vs. 8-10% for Barnard for recent classes), but Barnard is generally considered more difficult due to its smaller size, elite liberal arts focus (part of Columbia), and higher academic bar, making it incredibly competitive for its limited spots, with many applicants having near-perfect stats. 

What is the #1 hardest school to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it changes slightly by year and criteria, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top with extremely low acceptance rates (often 3-4%) and intense competition for spots, though other top global universities like Oxford and Tsinghua are also incredibly selective. Harvard is frequently cited as the hardest due to its high volume of applications and focus on global leadership potential, while Caltech is known for its extreme difficulty in STEM. 

Why is Barnard so hard to get into?

With a GPA of 4.13, Barnard College requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

Is Barnard the sister school of Columbia?

Barnard College

Barnard was initially the sister school to the Ivy League's Columbia, when a student activist petitioned the Ivy League school to create an affiliated college. While Barnard is a college of Columbia, it maintains its own admission, financials, and curricula.

Is Barnard still all female?

Yes, Barnard College remains an all-female college, admitting students who consistently live and identify as women, but it offers a unique experience as the women's college of Columbia University, allowing students to benefit from both institutions' resources and a co-ed campus life through shared facilities and classes. Barnard maintains its single-sex focus while integrating with Columbia, providing a women-centered liberal arts education with the vast opportunities of a major university in New York City. 

What kind of student thrives at Barnard?

Students who thrive at Barnard are passionate, self-driven, and bold women seeking intellectual challenges within a supportive, empowering, and diverse community, leveraging the unique resources of NYC and Columbia University while embracing activism, leadership, and personal growth. They are inquisitive, resilient, and socially conscious, ready to take risks, speak up, and apply their learning to make an impact in various fields, from STEM to the arts. 

What are the top 3 Ivies?

The top 3 Ivy League schools often cited are Princeton University, Harvard University, and Yale University, commonly referred to as "The Big Three," though rankings fluctuate, with Columbia and UPenn frequently challenging for top spots in various assessments. These rankings vary slightly depending on the source (like U.S. News) and specific metrics, but Princeton, Harvard, and Yale consistently appear at the top. 

Is it harder to get into Columbia or Barnard?

If you're looking at acceptance rate alone, then Columbia University in the City of New York is more difficult to get into. However, each college is looking to fill its incoming class with a variety of students with different strengths, backgrounds, etc.

What type of student does Barnard look for?

The admissions committee is seeking students of proven academic strength who exhibit intellectual voracity and strong potential for further scholarly growth. While admission is highly selective, it is also holistic; no one criterion or score determines acceptance.

Do Barnard grads get a Columbia degree?

Yes. Barnard students get Columbia degrees when they graduate.

Can non-binary people go to Barnard?

No, Barnard College does not directly accept non-binary students for admission, as their policy requires applicants to "consistently live and identify as a woman". However, they do support transgender women and allow students who were admitted as women (including trans women and those assigned female at birth who later identify as non-binary) to remain at the college even if their gender identity changes during their enrollment. 

Why do Barnard students say they go to Columbia?

It's not an “Ivy” because it's not part of that sports conference. But Barnard students play on Columbia teams and Barnard is considered one of Columbia's undergraduate schools (you get a diploma from Columbia).

What GPA do you need to get into Barnard?

Barnard College doesn't have a strict GPA cutoff, but successful applicants generally have exceptionally high GPAs, with averages around 4.0 or higher, and often above a 4.13 weighted GPA, demonstrating near-perfect high school performance in rigorous courses, with over 90% of admitted students having GPAs above 3.75. A lower GPA requires stronger compensating factors like higher test scores, stellar essays, and impressive extracurriculars, as Barnard uses a holistic review process. 

What are the 9 Ivy League schools?

The Ivy League schools are eight private universities in the Northeastern United States. These include Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

Is Barnard or NYU harder to get into?

While both are highly selective, NYU often appears slightly harder to get into based on recent acceptance rates (around 8-9% for NYU vs. 8-10% for Barnard for recent classes), but Barnard is generally considered more difficult due to its smaller size, elite liberal arts focus (part of Columbia), and higher academic bar, making it incredibly competitive for its limited spots, with many applicants having near-perfect stats. 

What is the #1 hardest college to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it changes slightly by year and criteria, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top with extremely low acceptance rates (often 3-4%) and intense competition for spots, though other top global universities like Oxford and Tsinghua are also incredibly selective. Harvard is frequently cited as the hardest due to its high volume of applications and focus on global leadership potential, while Caltech is known for its extreme difficulty in STEM. 

Where do the 1% go to college?

The 1% of the wealthiest Americans disproportionately attend highly selective, elite universities, particularly Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia) and other top institutions like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and UChicago, where they make up a large percentage of the student body, often outnumbering students from the bottom 60% of income earners combined. Liberal arts colleges and prestigious public universities also attract many wealthy students, with specific examples including WashU St. Louis, UVA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.
 

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, often defined by family income, tend to go to highly selective, elite universities like Dartmouth, Yale, Penn, Brown, Princeton, and Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, with some Ivy League schools having a higher concentration of these students than the bottom 60% of income earners. Rankings vary, but MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and UC Berkeley consistently appear at the top for overall academic standing, attracting top talent across all income levels. 

What is the #1 party school?

For 2026, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), is widely ranked as the #1 party school by sources like Niche, based on student surveys about campus party scenes, access to nightlife, and Greek life, followed by schools like Florida State and Tulane. Other strong contenders often mentioned include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USC, and the University of Alabama, with rankings varying slightly by publication and criteria.
 

What is the easiest ivy to get into?

While all Ivy League schools are highly selective, Cornell University is generally considered the "easiest" to get into due to having the highest acceptance rate (around 8-9%), partly because it's the largest Ivy with diverse colleges, like the less competitive Agriculture and Life Sciences, though its engineering programs are tough. Dartmouth College and Brown University often follow as the next most accessible Ivies, while Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia are typically the most difficult, with lower acceptance rates.