Admissions Factors
What Barnard College Looks For
Barnard College rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, application essay, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
How Barnard College rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
10.1%
1,048 of 10,426 applicants
Early decision admit rate
33.1%
Early decision admits equal 68% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
9.1%
150 of 1,644 who stayed on it
96% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Barnard College look for in applicants?
Barnard College rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, application essay, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
Does Barnard College consider legacy status?
Barnard College rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Barnard College track demonstrated interest?
Barnard College rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Barnard College's waitlist acceptance rate?
1,644 students stayed on the waitlist and 150 were admitted, a rate of 9.1%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Barnard College's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 476 of 1,437 applicants were admitted (33.1%), against 10.1% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Barnard College’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
