Pre-Baccalaureate Program

The Barnard Pre-Baccalaureate Program is a credit-bearing summer program at Barnard College in New York City for high school juniors, seniors, and gap year students. Students take one 3-credit college course taught by Barnard faculty, sitting in class alongside Barnard undergraduates. It is Barnard's only pre-college option that earns college credit. Each course lasts six weeks, and the 2026 program ran July 6 to August 14, 2026. The program is commuter-only, so students do not live on campus. Classes typically have 10 to 25 students, and participants can use Barnard and Columbia libraries. The credits can transfer to many colleges that accept transfer credit. For Summer 2026, base tuition was $7,065, with optional dining and excursion add-ons that brought the maximum cost to $10,954. A limited amount of need-based financial aid is available.

Open to rising high school juniors, seniors, and gap year students; international students are not eligible for this program. Applicants must be current high school students taking a rigorous courseload, such as AP or IB classes in their area of interest, with a strong GPA. The application includes an unofficial transcript, a list of extracurricular activities, teacher recommendations, a 500-word statement of purpose, and an extra writing sample. There is a $75 application fee after the priority deadline. Applications for Summer 2027 open on December 1, 2026.