Transfer Applicants | Barnard College (2023)

Students are welcome to apply for transfer admission to Barnard if they have completed 24-60 transferable credits at another institution following high school. If a student anticipates completing fewer than 24 credits, they must apply as a first-year student. For more details and information about how Barnard evaluates transfer credits, please see our Transfer Credit Evaluations page.

Application Review Philosophy

Learn about why you might want to transfer to Barnard, how best to prepare yourself for admission, and how we read applications contextually and holistically.

Application Deadlines: Fall and Spring Admission

Barnard allows transfer students to apply for entry either in our Fall or Spring Terms. The required application materials are the same regardless of the entry term for which students apply. To learn about the differences in available financial aid between Fall and Spring Term entry, please see our Financial Aid website.

Fall Term Admission

Students applying for Fall Term admission will begin their time as a Barnard student in September.
Application Deadline: March 1
Mid-Term Report Deadline: April 1
Rolling Notification: After May 1

Spring Term Admission

Students applying for Spring Term admission will begin their time as a Barnard student in January.
Application Deadline: November 1
Mid-Term Report Deadline: November 15
Rolling Notification: After December 1

Application Materials

Required Application Materials

• Common Application: The Common App will include personal information such as the school you attend, your extracurricular activities, and your college classes.
  • It will also include the Personal Statement that will be sent to each school to which you apply.


• Barnard Writing Supplement: This will be submitted along with your Common App. Supplemental essay questions may change from year to year and will become available each year in summer. The supplemental essay questions for Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 admission are:
  • What factors encouraged your decision to apply to Barnard College, and why do you think Barnard would be a good match for you?
  • If you could plan and lead a semester-long college seminar, what academic topic would you choose and why?


• $75 non-refundable application fee or fee waiver request: Application fees are submitted through the Common App. To request a fee waiver, complete the Common App Fee Waiver subsection within the Personal Information section of the Common App. If you are unable to complete the Common App fee waiver, we also accept NACAC waiver requests.


• Official final high school transcript: Please contact your high school to request your official final high school transcript. This transcript must include your full graduation date and an official signature or school seal.
  • For those who have taken a high school equivalency exam, the official diploma and test subject transcript must be sent in lieu of high school documentation. Visiting the testing agency's website for details.
  • Barnard accepts GED, TASC, and HiSET to satisfy high school equivalency.


• Official college transcript(s): Please request that your college send us your official transcript. If you have attended multiple colleges, official transcripts must be sent from each college.


• College Report: This is a Common App form available for download under the Program Materials section. It must be completed and submitted by a college official who has access to your institutional record (Dean, advisor, Registrar/Records Office, etc.).


• Official SAT or ACT scores: For information about how test scores are evaluated, score choice, and more, please view Barnard's standardized testing policies. Please note that students applying for Spring/Fall 2021, Spring/Fall 2022, or Spring/Fall 2023 do not need to submit the SAT or ACT in accordance with our temporary test-optional policy. For more information, please see our Temporary Test-Optional FAQ page.
  • If you do choose to submit test scores, please note that we require official SAT or ACT scores sent directly from the testing agency. In addition to sending official test scores, we recommend that you self-report your test scores within your application under the Standardized Tests subsection in the Common App's Academic History section. This will ensure a timely processing of your application.


• One academic letter of recommendation: We require one letter of recommendation from a professor or faculty member who has taught you in an academic class within the last year.


• Course descriptions: Please submit a comprehensive list of the official course descriptions of all courses from all colleges in which you have been enrolled. Descriptions should be retrieved directly from your college's course catalog/bulletin and clearly marked with the course title. Course descriptions can be compiled into a Word document and uploaded to Common App under the Program Materials section. Failure to submit course descriptions will delay the review of your application. These descriptions will be used in evaluating course credit for all admitted transfer students.


• Mid-Term Report: This is a Common App form available for download under the Program Materials section. The report is completed by your current instructors to report your in-progress grades at the time of application. If your school is on a quarter or trimester system, please submit the grades you received for the most recent term. If you are not currently attending college, you do not need to submit this form.
  • For students applying for Spring admission, Mid-Term Reports are due on November 15th.
  • For students applying for Fall admission, Mid-Term Reports are due on April 1st.


• Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test Scores: Students who meet our international applicant definition are required to submit official scores from one of the English proficiency exams listed or meet our waiver criteria. Please visit our International Applicants webpage to learn more about our English Language Proficiency requirements and see if you are eligible for a waiver.

Optional Application Materials

• Supplementary portfolios: Students may choose to submit supplementary portfolios containing film, photo, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, or creative writing for review via Slideroom. Please note that supplementary material will not be reviewed by Barnard faculty and during high volume periods, we cannot guarantee it will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Barnard does not require supplementary portfolios or auditions from any of our applicants, regardless of intended major.


• Additional letters of recommendation: Students may request letters of recommendation from up to two additional sources outside the required academic recommendation. If you choose to request additional letters of recommendation, we recommend that they come from a different perspective than your previous letter, such as a high school counselor/teacher, employer/supervisor, research mentor, or club advisor.


• Additional Information: Students are welcome to use the “Additional Information” component to add anything else they would like the Admissions Committee to know that may not fit elsewhere in the application. If there are circumstances that may have affected your academic performance in school, the extracurricular activities you were able to pursue, or any other topics, we recommend utilizing this section of the application.
  • In the Common App, proceed to the Personal Information section > Other Information tab > and scroll to “Additional Information”.
  • If you would like to provide context related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a separate COVID-19 option within the same section for this particular information.

How to Send Documents

• Transcripts
  • We accept official high school and college transcripts through the following methods:
    • Electronic document delivery services (Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, Naviance, etc.). If a destination address is requested, please input transfer@barnard.edu or admissions@barnard.edu.
  • Emailed by the school to transfer@barnard.edu
  • Mailed by the school to our office:
    Barnard College Office of Admissions
    3009 Broadway
    New York, NY 10027
• College Report
  • Submitted by a college official via email to transfer@barnard.edu
• Mid-Term Report
  • Emailed by the professor to transfer@barnard.edu or
  • Uploaded by the applicant through their Barnard Applicant Portal
• Course Descriptions
  • Uploaded to the Common App under the Program Materials section
• Academic Evaluations and Additional Letters of Recommendation
  • Uploaded by the recommender through the Common App after invited by the applicant or
  • Emailed by the recommender to transfer@barnard.edu

Financial Aid and Transfer Applicants

Because of limited funding available, Barnard considers financial need when reviewing admission applications from transfer students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.

Fall transfer applicants are reviewed with an awareness that financial need may be a factor in a student’s ability to attend. These students are eligible for both Barnard College grant aid and for federal and state aid. For those transfer students who are admitted with financial need, Barnard remains committed to meeting full demonstrated need in our financial aid packaging.

Barnard does not offer institutional financial aid to Spring transfer students. Federal student loans and state aid are still available to students who qualify for them, but students who require additional aid to attend Barnard are encouraged to apply for admission for the Fall term instead.

Barnard is unable to assist international transfer students with financial aid.