Financial Aid FAQs

All institutional financial aid at Barnard is awarded based solely on demonstrated financial need. Barnard does not offer any merit, athletic or talent based scholarships.

For a comprehensive analysis of financial need, students must submit the required tax documents, FAFSA and CSS Profile(s). All federal financial aid administered by Barnard College is based on demonstrated need as determined by the Federal Methodology formula. Need for institutional aid is determined using a Barnard Need Analysis formula which takes into consideration all sources of income and all assets, including home equity, as well as the number of siblings in college.

No. If you think you will need financial aid to attend Barnard, you MUST apply at the same time you apply for admission to the College and meet the required due date.

Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who do not apply by the deadlines for their first year can apply for aid in subsequent years if they meet the published deadline for the next year.

International students must apply for aid at the time of admission in order to be eligible to apply for aid in subsequent years.

Visit Barnard's Estimate Your Eligibility page to use the MyinTuition and Net Price Calculators to receive an estimate of the amount of financial aid you may be offered if you are accepted to Barnard. The Financial Aid Office will need to see all tax returns and requested documentation before reviewing a financial aid file to determine eligibility. 

The calculators are intended for first-year applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents only. The calculators will not be as accurate for international applicants.

All aid at Barnard is based solely on demonstrated financial need and the methodologies used to calculate Early Decision and Regular Decision eligibility are the same. Students who apply for aid and are eligible for need-based institutional financial aid receive the same financial aid award regardless of whether they apply early or regular decision.

Early Decision applicants are encouraged to keep in mind that the early decision contract is binding and so if financial aid is a concern and you would like the opportunity to compare financial aid packages with other schools, it may be advisable to apply Regular Decision.

A student who is admitted to Barnard with a Barnard College Grant may expect grants in future years, provided that she continues to meet economic and academic eligibility and reapplies each year. Factors that may impact a student's eligibility in subsequent years include: the number of siblings enrolled in college, fluctuation of parent or student income and assets, and family size. Students who are admitted to Barnard without financial aid are not guaranteed College grants for future years. Awards are for the academic year only. 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was passed by Congress on March 25, 2020 and signed into law on March 27, 2020 and is intended to provide fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, small businesses, and industries.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) are a set of programs under the CARES Act and authorized under federal legislation through the Office of Postsecondary Education. they are intended to specifically support the uncertainty and impacts of the coronavirus for college students. The third in this series of grants is called The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021(ARP), also known as HEERF III. Eligibility is based on exceptional financial need. Barnard has distributed funds to students whose family contribution for the 2021-2022 academic year is $20,000 or less. Students receiving funds are automatically notified by the Office of Financial Aid. 

More information can be found on our Resources page.

Please direct any questions to HEERF@barnard.edu

Yes. Barnard requires financial aid information from both parents regardless of when child support ends and regardless of what the divorce decree states.  The College is not bound by family or court agreements when awarding our own institutional funds.

The Non-Custodial Parent Information is a required part of the application for financial aid at Barnard and it is rare that we are able to waive this requirement. Our policy is to collect both parent's financial information, regardless of state laws, divorce decrees, or a parent's unwillingness to contribute to college costs. If the whereabouts of your noncustodial parent are unknown, or if you have extenuating circumstances and you are unable to submit Non-Custodial parent information, please complete Barnard's Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Petition online.

Please note that the Waiver Petition requires you to submit a letter from a third-party to verify the information presented in the petition. The Petition will not be reviewed until the required third party letter is received.

Students will be notified of the Waiver Petition decision by email. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed. If the Waiver Petition is denied, the student's financial aid application will remain incomplete until all required documents are received from the Non-Custodial Parent.

Barnard does not accept the College Board/IDOC version of the form.

More information can be found on our Non-Custodial Parent Policy page.

Barnard's policy is to collect financial documentation from both parents, regardless of their marital or legal status.  We do not consider unwillingness to submit financial documents as a reason to waive this requirement.  Refer to Barnard's policy.

Parents who never married but are living together are required to report their combined information on the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

The number of dependent siblings in undergraduate college is a major factor in calculating the parent contribution.  If you reported on the CSS Profile and FAFSA that you have siblings enrolled full-time in undergraduate college, and they do not enroll as reported, there will be an adjustment to the parent contribution and the financial aid award.

Once a sibling has graduated from college, the institutional and CSS Profile formulas do not take into account any graduate school or post-college programs costs. Students in graduate school programs are generally considered to be independent students, per federal regulations.

Parents attending graduate school or post-college programs are not taken into account in the calculation of eligibility for aid.

RA students are not charged for housing and are eligible to receive an RA financial aid award as part of the financial aid package. The RA financial aid award will reduce the recommended loan and then the student contribution portion of your financial aid package.  If your RA financial aid award and any outside scholarships exceed the amount of your loan and student contribution, then any remaining funds will be used to reduce any Barnard Grant you may have received. 

Please note: RAs can still work on campus using a Barnard College Job award. Students interested in working on campus should contact Beyond Barnard for assistance finding a job on campus.

Students who decide to live off-campus or commute from home will have their Barnard Grant reduced by approximately $15,000 to reflect the cost of a commuter.  Please see our policies on Resident or Commuter status.

All required documents are listed on each applicant's personalized Financial Aid Checklist. Documents are populated based on the information reported on the CSS Profile and FAFSA. The Financial Aid Checklist is located in the application portal. First-year and transfer applicants receive access to their portal after they have completed the Common Application. Returning students can access their portal using their Barnard email address and password.

Domestic First-Year students will also receive an email from the Financial Aid office with details of their missing documents. Students can submit these documents directly through the Applicant Portal. Documents are updated on the checklist as they are reviewed by our office. Please allow 48-72 hours for documents to be processed.

Transfer and International applicants must submit their documents via their Barnard application portal. 

*Barnard does not participate in the College Board Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC). 

The CSS Profile and FAFSA are completed online. Please use the links below. 

CSS Profile - cssprofile.collegeboard.org

FAFSA - studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Domestic First-Year students will also receive an email from the Financial Aid office with details of their missing documents. Students can submit these documents directly through the Applicant Portal. Documents are updated on the checklist as they are reviewed by our office. Please allow 24-72 hours for documents to be processed.

Transfer and International applicants must submit their documents via their Barnard application portal. 

*Barnard does not participate in the College Board Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC). 

We recommend saving your document as a pdf, jpeg, or Word document in order to successfully upload your documents to the portal. Documents that are password protected cannot be uploaded. If a document is password protected, we recommend temporarily removing the password in order to upload the document or emailing a copy to our office for our staff to upload for you.

After the deadline date, there is no guarantee that funds will be available.

All required documents are listed on the student's Financial Aid Checklist. Uploaded documents are reviewed on a daily basis by the Financial Aid Office staff and the checklist is updated accordingly. During peak admissions times it can take 2-4 business days for the checklist to be updated due to the high volume of documents under review.

If admitted to Barnard, First-year and transfer applicants who have submitted a complete financial aid application will receive their financial aid decision with their acceptance letter. Early Decision notifications are released in mid-December; Regular Decision notifications are released at the end of March. 

Assuming that the deadlines are met, current students will receive their financial aid decision letters in late June. All financial aid decisions for current students are posted within the Financial Aid Portal.

All students who submitted a complete financial aid application by the published deadlines will receive their financial aid decision letter when they are notified of their admission to the College. In some cases, the Financial Aid Office may require additional information from applicants in order to complete our evaluation. These applicants will be notified at the time of admission and they will be given a deadline to submit additional information.

Students who did not submit their application on time or did not complete their application cannot be considered for institutional need-based financial aid. In these cases, the Financial Aid Office can process federal aid only (i.e. Pell Grant and federal loans).

All outside scholarships must be reported to the Financial Aid Office by submitting a copy of the award certificate or letter from the scholarship donor indicating the type and amount of the award.  All outside scholarships will be used to reduce the recommended loan and then the student contribution portion of your package. The Financial Aid Office will make adjustments to the package as soon as documentation of the outside scholarship is received. Outside scholarships do not change or impact the expected parent contribution.

Scholarship checks must be submitted to the Bursar's Office, 3009 Broadway, 15 Milbank Hall, New York, NY 10027.

Congratulations! We are excited for you to join Barnard College. The Financial Aid Office will send out emails to enrolling students with instructions for 'next steps' and reminders to complete all required enrollment documents in late May/early June. All enrolling students should monitor their Financial Aid Checklist regularly. Documents may be added to the checklist in order to finalize award eligibility. Students are encouraged to submit all outstanding documentation as quickly as possible to allow the Financial Aid Office to process all aid and to ensure that the fall bill is correct when it is issued in July.

If you have any questions about your financial aid decision or if you wish to receive information on financing options, please feel free to email our office at finaid@barnard.edu and we would be happy to provide assistance.

Additional information on financial aid and billing at Barnard can be found on our Understanding your Aid and Financial Aid & Your Bill pages.

A Special Circumstance Review considers a federal financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family member, if you are a dependent, or your recent unemployment, if you are not a dependent, or other circumstances. This change in financial status refers to a decrease in 2022 or 2023 income compared to a student’s required 2021 tax data reported on the student’s 2023/2024 FAFSA.

If you feel you qualify for a Special Circumstance consideration for a financial aid adjustment, please email the Financial Aid Office at finaid@barnard.edu to request a review. Please describe in your email the circumstances you feel qualify you for the review. If the Financial Aid Office determines you may qualify for a review, you will then be required to submit a request form along with supporting documentation. 

The Financial Aid Office understands that many circumstances impact a family’s ability to contribute to a student’s education. The office will assist you to understand your options and determine if any additional federal aid may be available based on your circumstances. Please note that not all circumstances will be eligible for consideration and the review will be completed for federal financial aid only. Not all reviews will result in additional financial assistance. 

The Bursar's Office manages all billing and payment. Their office releases the bill twice a year:

• The Fall bill is released in early July and is due in early August
• The Spring bill is released in early November and is due in early December

The financial aid letter includes a budget for both billed and non-billed expenses. Some of your family contribution may cover billed expenses from Barnard and some of your family contribution may need to cover non-billed expenses, such as books & supplies. For more information on the differences between the financial aid award letter and bill, please visit the Financial Aid & Your Bill page.

If you are already covered by another medical insurance, you may submit a request to waive Aetna Student Health Insurance. Please note that the Bursar's Office will post a deadline to submit waiver requests.

Students who receive need-based institutional aid and do not qualify for the waiver are encouraged to complete the Health Insurance Assistance Form to request additional aid to cover the health insurance fees. If you were packaged a subsidized federal direct or Barnard loan, you must accept the loan before we can award any additional grant to cover the health insurance fees.

Refund requests are processed by the Bursar's Office. Students who receive a refund should use those funds to cover non-billed expenses such as books & supplies or personal expenses.

Students studying abroad should use any refund they receive to pay their study abroad billed expenses (i.e. room & board, travel, additional program fees).

Students enrolled for the full year have all loans disbursed in two installments, with half the loan (minus fees) credited to the fall bill and the other half (minus fees) credited to the spring bill.

Students who are enrolled for only one semester have their loan disbursed in one installment for that semester.

Loan application procedures for both federal and private loans can be found on the Apply for a Loan page of our website.

Loan applications for each upcoming academic year are available starting June 1st.

If you receive a federal student loan, you will be required to repay that loan with interest. Make sure you understand how interest is calculated and the fees associated with your loan. Both of these factors will impact the amount you will be required to repay.

Remember that interest rates and fees are generally lower for federal student loans than private student loans. For additional information regarding interest rates and fees, please visit https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/interest-rates. 

Interest rate reduction: You might be able to get a 0.25% rate discount as a repayment incentive for automatic payments when you use the electronic debit account (EDA) option to make payments on your loan.

When you graduate, drop below half-time, or withdraw from Barnard College, you will receive a six-month grace period for your loans. Once your grace period ends, you must begin repaying your loan.  Refer to the repayment options at the Federal Student Loan website.

Students who wish to borrow additional loans or increase the amount of their loans can request an increase by completing the Federal Loan Application Form.

Students who wish to decline or cancel their loans can do so by completing the Loan Adjustment Form online.