Barnard College

New York, NY · founded 1889 · 3,000 students · private research university · Ivy League (through Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium)

Known for: A prestigious women's liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University, located in New York City. It is renowned for its rigorous academics, feminist legacy, and empowering environment for women leaders.

Rankings

U.S. News liberal arts: #11
Forbes: #25

Top programmes

English
Psychology
Political Science
Economics
Neuroscience & Behavior
Urban Studies

Notable alumni

Martha Stewart — Businesswoman, writer, and television personality known for her lifestyle brand
Twyla Tharp — Pioneering choreographer and dancer
Jhumpa Lahiri — Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Interpreter of Maladies'
Greta Gerwig — Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, director of 'Barbie' and 'Lady Bird'
Margaret Mead — Groundbreaking cultural anthropologist and author
Ntozake Shange — Playwright and poet best known for 'for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf'
Patti Smith — Iconic singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist

Traditions

Big Sub (a giant sandwich shared by the community)
Midnight Breakfast during finals
Barnard's annual 'Founder's Day'
The 'Tree Lighting' ceremony

If Barnard College were…

As a food: Omakase at a Michelin-starred but unpretentious East Village sushi counter — Refined, expertly crafted, intimate setting despite being in the middle of everything, and you're getting the best ingredients with personal attention from a master. Expensive but worth it, and you're sitting next to som
As an athlete: Serena Williams — Dominates in a traditionally elite space while being unapologetically herself, broke barriers, built an empire beyond her sport, and never let anyone tell her she didn't belong at the top table. Grace under pressure and
As a person alive today: Sonia Sotomayor — Barnard's most prominent alum embodies the school perfectly: brilliant, broke barriers, unapologetically feminist, and leveraged elite education to serve justice. Bronx roots meet Supreme Court chambers without losing au
As a historical figure: Eleanor Roosevelt — Redefined what women could do in public life, combined intellectual rigor with political savvy, championed social justice from a position of privilege, and proved that you could be both a feminist and a power broker. Als
As a movie or TV show: The Devil Wears Prada — Set in Manhattan's elite professional world where young women navigate ambition, mentorship, and identity; features a protagonist who's smart and driven but still figuring out who she is; and perfectly captures the tensi
As a US president: Hillary Clinton — Brilliant, ambitious, feminist, polarizing, navigated elite institutions while advocating for women, and embodies both the promise and complications of trying to break the highest glass ceiling. Wellesley not Barnard, bu
As a city: Manhattan — Literally is in Manhattan, but also embodies it: ambitious, fast-paced, sophisticated, expensive, diverse, and convinced that being here means you're at the center of everything that matters. The city is your campus and
As an element: Platinum — Precious, durable, resistant to corrosion, used in catalytic converters to make things work better, and associated with both luxury and utility. Rarer than gold, commands respect, and gets the job done while looking eleg
As a car: 2022 Audi A5 Sportback — Barnard blends Columbia's urban sophistication with fierce independence in this sleek, intelligent coupe that navigates Manhattan with feminist confidence. It's polished enough for internships at Condé Nast but powerful

Campus life

Barnard offers a tight-knit, supportive community on its own campus while providing full access to the resources and social life of Columbia University and New York City. Student life is active with numerous clubs, organizations, and a strong focus on women's leadership and empowerment.

The film, scored

This profile answers “if Barnard College were a movie or TV show?” with The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Set in Manhattan's elite professional world where young women navigate ambition, mentorship, and identity; features a protagonist who's smart and driven but still figuring out who she is; and perfectly captures the tension between feminist ideals and capitalist success. It sits in the 48th percentile on rankquant, which re-centres every critic score on the reviewer who gave it, so a percentile means position against peers rather than a raw star average. The full film & TV catalogue ranks the rest the same way.