Apply For Aid

Please submit the CSS Profile by the application deadline date to be considered for financial aid. Additional requested documentation must be uploaded to the Barnard Applicant Portal by November 10th. Please review the financial aid checklist within the portal to see what is required. 

Additional required documents are listed in the Application Materials Section*. 

*Fall 2025 Applicants, please visit our FAFSA Simplification Information Website for more information on required materials. For Early Decision admitted students, the FAFSA deadline is March 1st.

As an Early Decision applicant, you have a binding commitment to the college if you are admitted. Therefore, it is extremely important to submit all required documents and the CSS profile by the deadline in order to be considered for need-based institutional financial aid.

**Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid must report their social security number on their application for admission in order for the Financial Aid Office to download their FAFSA and CSS Profile information.**

Applicants who are admitted under Early Decision will receive a financial aid decision letter in mid-December if all necessary documents are received by the official deadlines.

Federal Aid Only: Students who are not interested in applying for need-based Barnard College Grant aid, but would like to apply for federal student aid (loans or Pell Grant) are not required to complete the CSS Profile.

Regular Decision Applicants should submit the CSS profile by January 15th and the FAFSA by March 1st. Students will gain access to their Barnard Applicant Portal once they submit their common application. Additional requested documentation must be uploaded to the Barnard Applicant Portal by January 15th. Please review the financial aid checklist within the portal to see what is required.

*Fall 2025 Applicants, please visit our FAFSA Simplification Information Website for more information on required materials.

**Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid must report their social security number on their application for admission in order for the Financial Aid Office to download their FAFSA and CSS Profile information.**

Federal Aid Only: Students who are not interested in applying for need-based Barnard College Grant aid, but would like to apply for federal student aid (loans or Pell Grant) are not required to complete the CSS Profile.

Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents are considered international students. Barnard College is able to award a small number of need-based scholarships for international students in each first-year entering class.

International students must apply for financial aid at the time of admission in order to be eligible for financial assistance in future years at Barnard. Barnard will continue to aid renewal students who demonstrate need and were admitted as financial aid applicants.

Barnard is unable to assist international transfer students.

The Financial Aid Office determines whether HEOP applicants meet the New York State income guidelines for participation in the program. All HEOP applicants must submit the financial aid application materials by the required Early Decision or Regular Decision deadlines to be considered for the HEOP Scholars Program. Admitted HEOP students are notified of financial aid decisions when they are notified of admission.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Students must present a low-income profile, determined by NY State Education Department guidelines and confirmed by the Financial Aid Office.
• Students must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Students must be a NY state resident.
• All Barnard Aid is based on financial need. Barnard College is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need through a variety of sources including Federal (Pell), TAP, Barnard grants, HEOP grant, student loans, and the work-study program.

Fall transfer applicants must submit their FAFSA and CSS profile and additional requested documentation by March 15th. Please review the financial aid checklist within the portal to see what is required and how to upload any additional documentation.

Barnard has limited funding available for incoming Fall transfer students who are US Citizens or Permanent Residents and is therefore need-aware in the transfer admission selection process.

Fall transfers are eligible for both institutional need-based grant aid and for federal and state aid. For those transfers who are admitted with financial need, Barnard remains committed to meeting the full demonstrated need in our financial aid packaging.

**Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid must report their social security number on their application for admission in order for the Financial Aid Office to download their FAFSA and CSS Profile information.**

Barnard does not offer institutional financial aid to spring transfer students. Federal student aid (loans and Pell Grant) are still available to students who qualify. Transfer 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 need-based scholarships.

Students who are admitted to Barnard with a Barnard College Grant may expect grants in future years if they continue to meet economic and academic eligibility and meet the deadlines to reapply for financial aid each year. The deadline to apply for financial aid for 2025-2026 is April 15th (CSS Profile, FAFSA and any requested documents)..

Notification of financial aid awards for students who have submitted all required documents will be posted to the studnet's financial aid online portal before the first week of July.

Federal Aid Only: Students who are not interested in applying for need-based Barnard College Grant aid, but would like to apply for federal student aid (loans or Pell Grant) should only complete the FAFSA.

CSS Profile - Available starting October 1st. Barnard's CSS Code is 2038. 

Please note: If an applicant's parents are divorced or separated, each parent must complete a separate version of this form. Applicants who are unable to submit non-custodial parent information can complete Barnard's Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Petition form online.

If you need assistance completing the CSS Profile or encounter technical issues please call: 844-202-0524.

FAFSA - Available starting December 1st, 2024*. Barnard's FAFSA school code is 002708.

Please Note: Additional documents will be added to your checklist if you are selected for Federal Verification.

If you need assistance completing the FAFSA or encounter technical issues please call: 800-433-3243.

*Denotes a tentative date, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Submit all pages and schedules of each parent's 2023 Federal Tax Return.

For New York State Residents only: submit 2023 New York State Tax Return(s) in addition to the federal tax return.

If an applicant's parents are divorced or separated, each parent (and their spouse, if applicable) must submit copies of 2023 tax returns and W-2 forms. Applicants who are unable to submit non-custodial parent information can complete Barnard's Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Petition online. Barnard does not accept the College Board/IDOC version of the form. More information on Barnard's Non-Custodial Parent Policy.

If your family resides outside of the U.S. and/or files a non-U.S. tax return, please submit those 2023 documents in lieu of the U.S. federal tax return.

If one or both of your parents DID NOT file a tax return for 2023, they must submit a Parent Tax Non-Filer Form.

• Parents who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents should submit the Parent Tax Non-Filer Form linked above.
• Parents who are not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents should submit the Alternative Parent Tax Non-Filer Certification Form.
• Barnard does not accept Non-Filer forms from The College Board.

Submit copies of all original 2023 W-2 forms. We must receive original copies — state W-2 summaries are not accepted in lieu of W-2 forms.

If your parent did not receive W-2 forms from their employer(s), the W-2 requirement will be waived once the tax return is reviewed.

Students who filed a federal tax return for 2023 must submit a full copy of the tax return by upload to the portal. Students who did not or were not required to file a tax return for 2023 should submit a Student Tax Non-Filer Certification Form instead.

Barnard does not accept Non-Filer forms from The College Board.

Submit copies of all original 2023 W-2 forms. We must receive original copies — state W-2 summaries are not accepted in lieu of W-2 forms.

If a student did not receive W-2 forms from their employer(s), the W-2 requirement will be waived once the tax return or Student Tax Non-Filer Form is reviewed.

If parents are self-employed and/or hold any interest in a business (Partnership, Corporation, or S-corporation), you must also submit the full 1065, 1120, or 1120-S tax return for that business, including all pages and schedules as well as the parent K-1s.

When applicable, the Financial Aid Office may request the following:

• 2023 Untaxed Income Documentation
• Documentation of Citizenship (only if you have a citizenship comment on your FAFSA)
• New York State Express TAP application (for NYS Residents only (www.hesc.ny.gov) Barnard's school code is 0155.)
• Documentation of Housing Allowance
• Military Leave/Earnings Statements
• Trust Documentation

CSS Profile - Available starting October 1st. Barnard's CSS Code is 2038. 

Please Note: Applicants from the countries of Benin, Cameroon, Cuba, Ghana, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan, Tonga and those who cannot complete the CSS Profile online may submit a completed International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA) provided by the International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC) instead of the online CSS Profile. 

Please provide as much information and documentation as possible about the family's income and assets. All documents should be translated using U.S. dollars.

Examples of foreign income documentation are:

1) The country's tax return.

2) A signed statement from your parents' employer(s) on the company's letterhead indicating annual wages, bonuses, and benefits; the statement should also indicate if the income is gross income (before taxes, in which case we need to know the taxes paid) or net of taxes.  

Please Note: If your family resides in the U.S. and/or files U.S. tax returns, your family should submit 2023 U.S. Tax Returns and W-2 forms in lieu of foreign income documentation.