Quad

Head-to-head

Barnard
Dartmouth

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Dartmouth costs about $13.1K less per year on average than Barnard ($55,960 vs. $69,065, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Dartmouth grads earn $16.9K more ten years out than Barnard's ($97,434 vs. $80,516)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Dartmouth's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 23% at Barnard

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Dartmouth admits 6.0% vs. 8.8% at Barnard

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Barnard is more diverse (index 0.79 vs. 0.75)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Dartmouth is a bit larger (4,541 vs. 3,264)

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Dartmouth admits 6.0%, Barnard 8.8%; Dartmouth's yield is higher, at 71%.

Acceptance rate
Barnard8.8%
Dartmouth6.0%
Quad's selectivity
  • BarnardUltra selective
  • DartmouthUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Barnard
1470–1560
Dartmouth
1440–1550
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BarnardSchool record and prep program required
  • DartmouthRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important

Who's on each campus

Dartmouth is a bit larger than Barnard (4,541 vs. 3,264 undergrads); Barnard has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Barnard3.3K
Dartmouth4.5K
Pell Grant share
Barnard16%
Dartmouth14%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at Barnard, and Computer Science at Dartmouth; Dartmouth has 7 students per faculty member to Barnard's 10.

Students per faculty member
Barnard10 to 1
Dartmouth7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BarnardEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%
  • DartmouthComputer Science10%

What each costs

Dartmouth costs about $13.1K less a year than Barnard on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Barnard$69.1K
Dartmouth$56K
Aid generosity
Barnard23%
Dartmouth36%

What each pays off

Dartmouth's former students earn more, a median $97.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Barnard$80.5K
Dartmouth$97.4K
Graduation rate
Barnard93%
Dartmouth95%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BarnardGrowing+109%
  • DartmouthGrowing+64%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Barnard College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Barnard College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Dartmouth College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Dartmouth College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why