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Is Barnard College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Barnard, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Affordable
Barnard lands in the affordable band for a typical family. Graduates earn a median of $98,280 ten years after enrolling, and that makes the median debt of $15,000 more manageable than it looks at first glance. For context, Barnard's net price runs about 21% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. On the numbers alone, this school clears the bar comfortably.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$27,738
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $4,901 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $20,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price sits in a range that leaves more room for family cash flow and lower borrowing.
Outcome
40% weight
Graduation and earnings data create a stronger long-run payoff picture.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$28,930
Median earnings 10 years out
$98,280
Median debt at graduation
$15,000
Graduation rate
92%
At Barnard, a typical graduate carries about $15,000 in student debt and earns roughly $98,280 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $171 per month, or 2% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $67,487 more than the typical working high school graduate in New York ($30,793) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
92% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
What this means for your family
Barnard is a private nonprofit four year school in New York, NY. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Metropolitan College of New York
New York, NY
Worth-It Score: 29/100
Median net price: $29,006
Private nonprofit 4-year
Colgate
Hamilton, NY
Worth-It Score: 90/100
Median net price: $29,409
Private nonprofit 4-year
Touro
New York, NY
Worth-It Score: 56/100
Median net price: $28,433
Private nonprofit 4-year
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Albany, NY
Worth-It Score: 80/100
Median net price: $28,425
Private nonprofit 4-year
St. John Fisher
Rochester, NY
Worth-It Score: 71/100
Median net price: $29,743
Common questions about Barnard
The median net price at Barnard is $28,930 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in New York? See the most affordable private colleges in New York →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Barnard in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$28,930a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →