Transfer Applicants

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 2021 and Fall 2021 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.


• Official final high school transcript: Please use the Common App to request that your former high school counselor send us your official final high school transcript. This transcript must include your full graduation date and an official signature. For those with a GED, the official document and scores must be sent in lieu of a transcript.


• Official college transcripts: Please use the Common App to request that your college send us your official transcript. If you have attended multiple colleges, official transcripts must be sent from each college. Please note: Unofficial transcripts can be used for your initial application review. However, we will not be able to release a final admissions decision until official transcripts are received. 


• College Report: This is a form that you can request through the Common App. It must be completed by the Registrar or Dean's Office at the college in which you are currently enrolled. The person who completes this form must have access to your overall academic record.


• 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 indicate your unofficial test scores by uploading a screenshot of your score report(s) to your preferred application platform. This will ensure a timely processing of your application.


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


• Course descriptions: Please submit course descriptions as found in your college's course catalog/bulletin for all courses from all colleges in which you have been enrolled. Courses should be clearly marked and include full course descriptions. Clear photocopies of course descriptions are acceptable, but must include the appropriate pages listing graduation requirements. If your course catalog is online, copy and past course descriptions from your school's online course catalog into a Word document or text file. 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: Please use this form to submit grades from each instructor for all college courses in progress at the time of application. For students applying for Spring Term entry, Mid-Term Reports are due on November 15. For students applying for Fall Term entry, Mid-Term Reports are due on April 1. 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.


• Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test Scores: In addition to SAT/ACT requirements, TOEFL/IELTS/DET scores are required for students whose primary language is not English or who do not study in a school where English is the primary language of instruction. 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 letter of 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, part-time job supervisor, research mentor, or club advisor.


• Additional Information section: Both the Common Application and Coalition Application provide students an "Additional Information" section to add anything else they want to admissions committee to know that doesn't 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 anything else you would like us know, we recommend telling us in this section of the application. If you would like to provide context related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a separate COVID-19 Additional Information section for this particular information.

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.