Graduates of Barnard College earn median 4-year earnings of $72,527, placing Barnard College in the 73.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Barnard College #297 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings strength reflects both the institution's concentration in high-return fields and the career trajectories that Barnard College graduates pursue in New York's diversified professional economy. Barnard College's program portfolio is anchored in Social Sciences, which represents 29% of degrees and drives much of the institution's earnings profile. Economics is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $111,909, performing at 1.4x the national benchmark for the field. The Research Psychology program graduates 76 students earning $65,644 four years after enrollment, while Political Science and English Language and Literature, General round out the institution's highest-enrollment majors with solid mid-career earnings trajectories. The concentration in Social Sciences combined with Arts at 9% creates a program mix that aligns well with employer demand in the New York metropolitan region and beyond.
Graduates of Barnard College earn median 4-year earnings of $72,527, placing Barnard College in the 73.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Barnard College #297 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings strength reflects both the institution's concentration in high-return fields and the career trajectories that Barnard College graduates pursue in New York's diversified professional economy. Barnard College's program portfolio is anchored in Social Sciences, which represents 29% of degrees and drives much of the institution's earnings profile. Economics is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $111,909, performing at 1.4x the national benchmark for the field. The Research Psychology program graduates 76 students earning $65,644 four years after enrollment, while Political Science and English Language and Literature, General round out the institution's highest-enrollment majors with solid mid-career earnings trajectories. The concentration in Social Sciences combined with Arts at 9% creates a program mix that aligns well with employer demand in the New York metropolitan region and beyond.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Barnard College earn median 4-year earnings of $72,527, placing Barnard College in the 73.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Barnard College #297 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings strength reflects both the institution's concentration in high-return fields and the career trajectories that Barnard College graduates pursue in New York's diversified professional economy. Barnard College's program portfolio is anchored in Social Sciences, which represents 29% of degrees and drives much of the institution's earnings profile. Economics is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $111,909, performing at 1.4x the national benchmark for the field. The Research Psychology program graduates 76 students earning $65,644 four years after enrollment, while Political Science and English Language and Literature, General round out the institution's highest-enrollment majors with solid mid-career earnings trajectories. The concentration in Social Sciences combined with Arts at 9% creates a program mix that aligns well with employer demand in the New York metropolitan region and beyond.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Barnard College's program mix is anchored in the social sciences, humanities, and quantitative fields—a signature shaped by the college's liberal arts identity and location in New York City. Economics is the largest program with 92 graduates, followed by Research Psychology, Political Science, English Language and Literature, General, and Artificial Intelligence. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 826 students annually, several deliver strong four-year earnings outcomes aligned with national labor-market demand. The earnings pattern reflects Barnard College's positioning as a selective liberal arts college with particular strength in fields that lead to high-mobility careers. Economics graduates earn median four-year earnings of $111,909 with 92 graduates, while Urban Studies/Affairs delivers median earnings of $79,807 and Political Science reaches $77,805. Neurobiology and Neurosciences and Research Psychology round out the highest-earning programs, demonstrating consistent strength across quantitative and professional fields. The concentration of strong outcomes in economics, mathematics, and applied social sciences reflects both the college's academic depth and the national demand for graduates in these disciplines. Many of Barnard College's strongest programs are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the national labor market directly—particularly in economics, mathematics, and business-adjacent fields. Others, including psychology and biology, represent grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how Barnard College's dominant program families align with national wage trends and employer demand.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Barnard College earn median 4-year earnings of $72,527, placing Barnard College in the 73.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Barnard College #297 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings strength reflects both the institution's concentration in high-return fields and the career trajectories that Barnard College graduates pursue in New York's diversified professional economy. Barnard College's program portfolio is anchored in Social Sciences, which represents 29% of degrees and drives much of the institution's earnings profile. Economics is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $111,909, performing at 1.4x the national benchmark for the field. The Research Psychology program graduates 76 students earning $65,644 four years after enrollment, while Political Science and English Language and Literature, General round out the institution's highest-enrollment majors with solid mid-career earnings trajectories. The concentration in Social Sciences combined with Arts at 9% creates a program mix that aligns well with employer demand in the New York metropolitan region and beyond.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
