Barnard College

What is the history of Barnard College?

Barnard College was founded in 1889 to provide women in New York City with access to a liberal arts education associated with Columbia University, which did not then admit women to its undergraduate college. Writer and education advocate Annie Nathan Meyer was central to its founding. The college was named for Frederick A. P. Barnard, a former Columbia president who had supported women's higher education.

Barnard began in rented space before moving to its present Morningside Heights campus. Its relationship with Columbia was formalized in 1900, but Barnard retained its own administration and academic identity. That distinction still matters: students enroll at Barnard, follow Barnard's degree requirements and can use many Columbia academic resources through the colleges' longstanding partnership.

What are the faculties and departments at Barnard College?

Barnard is primarily an undergraduate liberal arts college, not a university divided into separate professional schools. Its departments and programs span the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and arts. Students can pursue subjects such as English, economics, history, psychology, biology, computer science, dance and urban studies.

The curriculum combines a major with Barnard's Foundations general-education requirements, including first-year courses and coursework across different areas of inquiry. Barnard and Columbia students may take eligible courses across the institutions, subject to prerequisites, capacity and registration rules. Prospective students comparing majors should check which department offers a program, whether it is a Barnard or Columbia major, and what approvals cross-registration requires.

Barnard's reported student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1. That measure describes institutional staffing relative to enrollment; it does not mean every class has eight students.

What is the location of Barnard College?

Barnard College occupies an urban campus in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood, near Broadway and West 116th Street. Columbia University's Morningside campus is across Broadway, making movement between the two institutions part of many students' academic routines.

The neighborhood has subway and bus connections, and students can reach internships, museums and other organizations throughout New York City. City access also brings practical considerations: commuting time, transportation costs and off-campus rent can differ substantially from those at a residential college in a smaller town. LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports serve the region, although travel times vary considerably.

What is the mission and vision of Barnard College?

Barnard describes its purpose as providing a liberal arts education for women that develops intellectual independence and prepares students for lives of inquiry and engagement. Its educational identity joins a women's college with access to resources shared through its Columbia University relationship.

That mission is reflected in the combination of broad coursework, a chosen major and opportunities to study across the two institutions. It is a statement of Barnard's aims, rather than a guarantee of any particular academic or career outcome. Applicants should also distinguish the college's women-centered institutional identity from the eligibility rules it applies to individual admissions categories.