How to Apply to Economics at Barnard College: A Women’s Liberal Arts College Beside Columbia University With No Separate Schools, Declaring the Economics Major by Sophomore Spring, and Admission and Prerequisites for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Barnard College is a women’s liberal arts college in Manhattan with no separate schools: economics is taught by the Barnard Department of Economics, and you apply to Barnard itself, not to a school within it. Barnard says its relationship with Columbia University is “unique in American higher education”: students share academic resources, extracurriculars, athletic fields and even dining halls, with small classes at Barnard and Columbia’s resources across the street. This guide uses only Barnard’s own pages; for Columbia’s admission rules, see Columbia’s own site. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, for U.S. students, international students (including students from China) and transfer students.

1. Programs and how admission works

• Programs in the department (department page): the Economics major (economics area of focus), the Economics major (political economy area of focus), the Economics and Mathematics major, the Economic and Social History major, a 4+1 bachelor’s/master’s in Economics and Operations Research with Columbia’s Industrial Engineering and Operations Research department, and a minor. The catalog adds that a special major in Economics and Statistics can be arranged by petition. The pages we read do not name the degree (such as B.A.); this is not published there, so ask admissions.
• STEM: the department FAQ says all Economics majors (all tracks) are now classified as STEM.
• You are not admitted to a major: the application pages we read do not ask you to choose economics at application. After entry, the catalog says prospective majors should discuss their program with a department member no later than the second semester of sophomore year; at declaration you meet the chair and choose a major adviser, and all majors file a Major Requirements Declaration form by the end of sophomore year or soon after.
• Conditions to enter: the department and catalog pages we read state no GPA threshold, cap or approval step; this is not published there, so ask the department (economics@barnard.edu).
• Senior requirement: both foci require either a two-semester senior thesis (ECON BC3061 and BC3062) or a senior seminar (ECON BC3063, plus another upper-level elective). Seminars are capped at 16 students and meet once a week for two hours, with a 12 to 20 page research paper; the thesis is year-long with no set length (25 to 100 pages).
• Department cautions: the major is sequential, so start early. Starting late is allowed but can make it hard to finish before the thesis, and a transfer student arriving with junior standing and little economics credit may have to settle for a minor. Study abroad needs planning (the department reports most success with UK and Australian programs, least with Latin America).
• Business and computer science have their own guides on this site; Barnard’s pages we read do not cover them here.

2. Prerequisites and course sequence

• High school: the catalog says the department expects all majors to have a working knowledge of arithmetic, high school algebra and the fundamentals of analytic geometry. No specific high school courses or grades are published.
• Economics area of focus (at least 12 courses, 36 credits):
  • ECON BC1003 Introduction to Economic Reasoning (4 points; micro and macro in one semester);
  • math: ECON BC1007 Math Methods for Economics, or MATH UN1201 Calculus III;
  • statistics: ECON BC2411 Statistics for Economics, or STAT UN1101, STAT UN1201 or PSYC BC1101;
  • ECON BC3018 Econometrics, BC3033 Intermediate Macro, BC3035 Intermediate Micro, BC3041 Theoretical Foundations of Political Economy;
  • three economics electives, two of them upper-level (with intermediate micro or macro as a prerequisite);
  • a senior thesis or senior seminar (above).
• Political Economy area of focus (at least 13 courses, 42 credits): BC1003, BC1007 or MATH UN1101 Calculus I, BC3033, BC3035, BC3041, statistics, three economics electives (two upper-level), two “linked” interdisciplinary electives approved by your adviser, and the thesis or seminar.
• Order: the FAQ recommends BC1003 first, then BC1007. Students interested in Economics-Mathematics or Economics-Statistics should take Calculus III rather than Math Methods; you cannot take Math Methods after Intermediate Micro. Intermediate Micro requires an introductory course plus a semester of calculus or BC1007; Intermediate Macro requires an introductory course and high school algebra and analytic geometry. Students should finish both intermediate courses by the start of junior year.
• Columbia courses: Columbia’s ECON UN1105 Principles of Economics substitutes for BC1003 (you cannot get credit for BC1003 after W1105). For intermediate courses at Columbia, the department advises finishing Calculus III or doing well in Math Methods first, and avoiding Game Theory (4415) and Advanced Microeconomics (4211) without Calculus III.
• AP and IB (the two pages are not fully consistent):
  • Catalog: 3 points of credit for a 4 or 5 on AP Microeconomics or Macroeconomics (or both) or a 5 or higher on IB; but majors with such credit must still take ECON BC1003 or its equivalent. A 5 on AP Statistics earns 3 points, but majors in the economics focus are not exempt from BC2411.
  • Department FAQ: a 4 or 5 on both AP Micro and AP Macro earns 3 points and exempts you from BC1003, replaced by an elective; a 6 or above on IB Economics HL does the same; one AP exam alone earns credit without exemption. A 5 on AP Statistics exempts you from BC2411, replaced by an elective (which also differs from the catalog).
  • Calculus: AP Calculus AB or BC 4 or 5, or IB Mathematics 6 or 7, can start with Calculus III or BC1007; AB or BC 3 starts with Calculus I or BC1007.
  Confirm with the department and your entering-year AP/IB table.
• Grading: courses taken P/D/F may not count toward the major, and a required course already passed with a P cannot be retaken; ask your adviser first.

3. Rounds, deadlines and materials

• Dates on the application process page (no year is printed; confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry): Early Decision 1 November, decisions mid-December; Regular Decision 1 January, decisions late March. Applications, essays and short answers are due at 11:59 pm local time.
• Materials deadlines: for ED, school report and counselor recommendation, teacher recommendations and self-reported scores by 20 November, first-quarter grades 25 November; for RD, school report, counselor and teacher recommendations 15 January, self-reported scores and mid-year grades 28 February (another line on the same page says counselors submit the mid-year report by 1 March, so confirm in your portal).
• Common App (QuestBridge also accepted). The application fee is $75, non-refundable, with waivers available.
• Essays: the personal essay plus Barnard short answers (for 2026-27, a “bold question” of 50 words and a response about a woman whose approach differs from yours, 200 to 250 words). Two teacher recommendations from core academic subjects, a counselor recommendation (if the counselor cannot, an additional teacher letter is encouraged), transcripts and school profile.
• No interviews. Applicants at US high schools may submit an optional Glimpse video; international applicants may submit an optional InitialView or Vericant interview, by 1 November (ED) or 1 January (RD).
• Test optional: Barnard says SAT/ACT stays optional through the 2027 cycles; self-reported scores are accepted, SAT and ACT composites are superscored, official scores are needed on enrollment, and the ACT science and writing sections are not required.

4. U.S. students

• Admission and aid: Barnard practices need-blind admission for first-year U.S. citizens and permanent residents. All aid is need-based (no merit awards) and the College meets 100% of demonstrated need through grants, loans and work.
• Apply for aid at the same time as admission. Deadlines: ED and QuestBridge Match 1 November; RD 15 January (FAFSA, CSS Profile and supporting documents; the page is titled for the 2027-2028 aid year). Aid applicants must report a Social Security number.
• Barnard reports that about 35% of students received need-based aid in 2025-26, with an average need-based grant of about $68,562.
• The cost page we read lists a single tuition with no in-state or out-of-state difference; any in-state preference is not published.

5. International students

• Admission and aid: citizenship is not a prerequisite. For students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents Barnard is need-aware, with limited funding for international first-years; it can award only a small number of need-based scholarships in each class. International students must apply for aid at the time of admission to be eligible in later years.
• Transcripts and national exams: schools send official transcripts and national or board exam results by e-docs or mail, with certified English translations if not in English; students who took external national or board exams submit the results plus transcripts for each secondary year. Barnard says certificates or copies of certificates are not required and should not be submitted.
• English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo may be required unless waived: English as a first language, English-medium instruction throughout secondary school, an English-taught IB Diploma or A Levels, SAT EBRW 700+ or ACT English or Reading 29+. Scores are valid for two years; TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted; TOEFL Essentials is not accepted and MyBest is not considered. Barnard says the most competitive candidates generally have IELTS 7.5+, TOEFL 105+ or Duolingo 135+, and at least 5.5 on the new TOEFL scale for tests taken on or after 20 January 2026.
• Funds and visas: the pages we read do not list proof-of-funds documents; contact international@barnard.edu.

6. Applicants from China

• The pages we read have no China-specific section and do not say whether the Gaokao is considered; this is not published, so ask admissions (international@barnard.edu, 212-854-2014).
• The international page says schools send official transcripts and national exam results, non-English documents need certified translations, certificates should not be submitted, and an InitialView or Vericant interview is optional.
• How Chinese huikao or other school-level exams are handled is not published.

7. Costs

• 2026-27 (US$): tuition 73,120 ($36,560 per semester); comprehensive fee 2,472; first-year housing 14,054 (upperclass 14,190; studio single 23,126); meal plans from 1,200 to 9,204 depending on plan (one is required). The page prints no total, so none is given here.
• Health insurance is required; students without coverage can buy the College plan ($5,126 for the year) and others can waive it.

8. Transfer students

• Who can apply: students with 24 to 60 transferable credits after high school; with fewer than 24 you apply as a first-year; second-semester first-years cannot apply for spring; holders of a bachelor’s degree cannot apply. AP or IB credit does not count toward the 24.
• Deadlines: fall 1 March (mid-term report 1 April; rolling notification after 1 May); spring 1 November (mid-term report 15 November; notification after 1 December). Common App for transfer; $75 fee.
• Materials: three Barnard short answers, final high school transcript, all college transcripts, College Report, Mid-Term Report, course descriptions and one academic recommendation from a college instructor within the last year; English tests as above. No interviews.
• Economics: the transfer pages set no separate threshold for the economics major. The department says transfers face the late-start challenge “more so”, and a student transferring in with junior standing and little economics credit may have to settle for a minor. To count courses taken elsewhere or in summer toward the major, submit the form on slate.barnard.edu for major credit approval; at least six major courses must be taken at Barnard or Columbia.
• Credit: no pre-evaluation; an evaluation comes with the offer. Courses must be similar in content and depth; no credit below C-; applied or professional courses are not usually accepted; at most 60 credits transfer toward the 121 needed to graduate, with at most 16 per term; online courses are generally not credited.
• Aid: institutional grant aid is available only to fall transfer applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents (need is considered in review). Spring and international transfer applicants receive no institutional aid.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply by 1 November (ED) or 1 January (RD); $75 fee; two short answers, two teacher recommendations
• After entry, discuss and declare your major by sophomore spring; take BC1003, then BC1007 (or calculus)

International students (including China):

• Same deadlines; schools send official transcripts and national exam results with certified translations; no certificate copies
• Meet the English requirement or a waiver; apply for aid at application; ask admissions whether the Gaokao is used

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 March (spring 1 November); 24 to 60 transferable credits
• At least six major courses at Barnard or Columbia; a junior-standing transfer with little economics may only manage the minor

Sources: Barnard College, About Barnard; Department of Economics; Catalog: Economics; First-year applicants; The application process; International applicants; Transfer applicants; Transfer credit evaluations; Costs and aid; Apply for aid; 2026-27 tuition and fees. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Barnard for the latest details.