Barnard maintains a diversified residential program. Residential options include traditional corridor-style and suite-style rooms in College-owned or rented buildings on or near to campus. While students are not required to live in campus housing, most incoming First Year students choose to live in campus housing. Around 70% of upperclass students live in campus housing. In cooperation with Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a limited number of Barnard and Columbia upperclass students participate in a housing exchange program. 

Residence Halls

All Barnard College owned or operated residence halls are completely smoke-free. Under the leadership of the Director for Residential Life & Housing, the College provides substantial supervision of student life in the residence halls. This includes Associate Directors, Community Directors, Residence Hall Coordinators, and Resident Assistants. The Barnard Community Accountability, Response & Emergency Services (CARES) department provides 24-hour Access Attendant coverage at the residence hall front desks and regular Community Safety Officer patrols.

Brooks, Hewitt, Reid, and Sulzberger Halls make up "The Quad" at the south end of the campus. First Year students are assigned to singles, doubles, triples, and quad rooms in all four buildings.  Upperclass students are assigned to singles & doubles in Hewitt and the higher floors of Sulzberger (referred to as “Sulzberger Tower”).

Additional residence halls are available in the surrounding neighborhood near to campus for upperclass students. 600, 616, and 620 are suite-style residence halls on W. 116th St.  Elliott is a corridor-style hall on Claremont Ave. Plimpton is a suite-style residence hall on Amsterdam Ave, adjacent to Columbia & Teacher’s College. Cathedrals Gardens is a suite-style residence hall on Manhattan Ave that also houses faculty members. 121st Street is a suite-style residence hall one block north of campus off Broadway. The College also rents apartments for students in “College Residence,” located on 110th St.

Eligibility

Eligibility criteria have been established in order to assign available space on an equitable basis. These regulations may be changed as needed at the discretion of the College, but insofar as possible, the following criteria will determine eligibility:

  • Eligibility for residence is limited to Barnard students and approved visiting students who have both completed the registration and program filing processes and have made all required payments by the payment deadlines.

  • Some Columbia students may also be eligible,  providing they meet the requirements for the Barnard/Columbia Housing Exchange as defined by Columbia University Undergraduate Housing.

  • Students must be enrolled on a full-time basis.

Housing Assignments

Returning upperclass resident students already living in College housing who started at the College as First Year students are eligible to take part in the Room Selection process to select housing for the following academic year. Most students select through the Housing Lottery, but students may also apply for Pre-Lottery placements as a housing accommodation through the Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS).

New First Year students are matched with roommates and assigned to rooms by the College based on the responses to their Housing Application. Transfers students and students returning from a leave of absence are assigned to housing on a space available basis.

Requirements

The rules and regulations regarding payments and refunds, and the use and occupancy of rooms are in the Housing Contract, which students sign when they apply for College housing. The Housing Contract and the Residence Hall Handbook may both be reviewed online.

Board

All Barnard students are required to participate in a meal plan. All First Year students residing in Barnard housing are required to enroll in the Platinum Meal Plan. Upperclass students who live on floors 2-8 of the Quad are required to enroll at minimum in the Flex 150 Meal Plan.  All other students, including non-residential commuters, must enroll at minimum in the Convenience Meal Plan.

Students may upgrade their required meal plan to one offering more than the minimum requirements for their housing location (Kosher options are also available). Students may change their meal plan enrollment through the week before the start of the semester (via the Meal Plan Change Form on the Housing Portal).

Any meals remaining on any meal plan at the end of the fall semester are forfeited. Any meal plan points remaining at the end of the fall semester may be carried over to the spring semester providing that the student remains enrolled in a Barnard meal plan during the spring semester. Any meals or meal plan points remaining at the end of the spring semester are forfeited.

Married Students & Students with Children

College housing is available only for enrolled Barnard students. College housing is not available for the spouses or significant others of students and/or their children.

Financial Aid for Room and Board

All students who live on campus will have their financial aid based on the resident student budget. A student who receives aid from the College based upon the resident budget must live in College housing billed by Barnard. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid when she decides not to reside on campus. Students who decide to live off-campus or commute from home will have their financial aid based on the commuter student budget. 

All first-year students who are receiving financial aid will have a resident budget based on the cost of a multiple room and the Platinum Meal Plan. 

All upper class students who are receiving financial aid will have a resident budget based on the cost of a single or multiple room and the Flex 150 Point Meal Plan.

 A residential student who chooses to reside in a Barnard studio apartment must cover the difference between the cost of a studio apartment and a single room from their own resources.

Resident Assistants

Residential Life & Housing employs students as Resident Assistants (RAs) throughout campus housing.  RAs facilitate the social, academic, and personal adjustment of students to the residence hall and University. RAs serve as a role model, provide referrals to resources across the College, enforce the policies of Residential Life & Housing and the College, and provide social & educational programming.