Dear Rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors,

Now that the semester has ended, we hope you are enjoying a well-deserved break before turning to summer research, internships, jobs, and travel. 

We spend each spring and summer preparing for the new academic year, and we write to share two important updates for next year. 

First, we are excited to announce some changes designed to simplify how you interact with financial aid and bursar's services at Barnard. Over the past year, many of you have shared feedback about the complexity of managing billing and financial aid. To create a more integrated student financial services experience, we are bringing the Bursar's Office and the Office of Financial Aid together to form a new, unified Student Financial Services Office. 

The new Student Financial Services Office will handle all billing and financial aid matters for next year. The goal is to make it easier for students to get clear, coordinated answers in one place, whether you are reviewing your bill, seeking to better understand your aid package, or planning for the semester ahead. As part of this effort, the staff currently in the Bursar’s Office will relocate to a more visible and accessible space alongside the current Financial Aid staff in the Quad, creating a centralized hub to support students with their finance-related questions. We will no longer support separate offices for these functions.

We are also developing a new Student Financial Services website that will consolidate key information about billing, student accounts, and financial aid in a more intuitive and accessible style. We will follow up with additional details as the website becomes available.

Second, we wanted to inform you that the Barnard Board of Trustees has approved rates for tuition, fees, and room and board for the 2026–2027 academic year. The overall increase for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors is 3.5%. This adjustment reflects the College’s ongoing commitment to sustaining the quality of a Barnard education while managing costs responsibly. Tuition dollars help us support and grow our faculty and continue our investment in the co-curricular parts of campus life that have long helped define the Barnard experience. 

Barnard remains deeply committed to access and affordability. We continue to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, and financial aid will remain a central priority in ensuring that students from a wide range of backgrounds have access to a Barnard education. The new Student Financial Services Office stands ready to help all students, including those students whose financial circumstances have changed since arriving at Barnard. 

As you think about the year ahead, please keep the following timelines in mind:

Late June: our new Student Financial Services Office will begin issuing 2026–2027 financial aid award notifications for returning students and updated notifications for incoming students, adjusted to take into account the new rates for tuition, fees, and room and board.

First week of July: the new Student Financial Services Office will release fall semester bills electronically via Nelnet.

August 3: Payment is due 30 days after bills are issued. We encourage families to review and address billing questions promptly to avoid any disruptions. The Student Financial Services Office looks forward to helping you plan for the year ahead.

We hope you have a wonderful summer, and we are eager to see you in the fall.  

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fondiller, Vice President for Enrollment and External Affairs

Sharon Hewitt Watkins, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer