Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college founded in 1889 and located in New York City. It is independently accredited and affiliated with Columbia University, an arrangement that gives its approximately 3,000 undergraduate students access to the resources of both institutions. At its founding, Barnard was the only college in New York City - and one of the few in the country - where women could pursue the same rigorous liberal arts education available to men.
The college offers a flexible undergraduate curriculum spanning the arts and sciences, designed to encourage exploration across disciplines. Faculty-mentored research is a central part of the academic experience, and digital literacy is integrated throughout all programmes. Barnard's more than 40,000 alumnae form a broad professional network spanning a wide range of fields.
The college describes itself as a tight-knit community with a particular focus on women's intellectual development and leadership. Its New York City location places students within one of the world's major cultural, professional, and civic centres, with direct access to Columbia's campus and wider academic community alongside Barnard's own programmes and facilities.