pwoods

"There is very little that Barnard offers to any Columbia student."

Well, money. Barnard doesn't just mooch off the university; they pay exorbitant fees to the Trustees of Columbia for use of facilities. And, of course, Columbia students have access to Barnard professors, many of whom (depending on the department) are in the top of their field. Obviously, Columbia University isn't dependent on Barnard—they have 3 undergrad colleges, 20 grad schools, and an $8 billion endowment—but it's not as though they don't derive any benefit from the inter-corporate agreement. I, for one, think my experience at Columbia would have been much worse had Barnard not existed.

horsham

^ Looks like Barnard pays Columbia 5 million a year. With ~2400 students, that's ~$2000/student/year. If that's all Barnard pays for their students to access the resources on Columbia campus and the general brand association, I would call it an incredible bargain rather than exorbitant. I'd be interested to know if Barnard also pays (on top of the $2000) when they place their students in Columbia classes.

churchmusicmom

horsham, it's not a matter of Barnard placing students in Columbia classes. In fact, several of Columbia College's majors are housed at Barnard--architecture and dance are two that come readily to mind. When Columbia students and Barnard students register for classes, it's not readily apparent which campus said class is held upon or taught through. Barnard professors are required to meet the tenure requirements of Barnard as well as Columbia. These are just a few factors that make this far more complex than you appear to believe.

I have shared this before, but it bears repeating that a well known English prof at Columbia told my daughter that HE advises his students to take as many classes as they can at Barnard. In his words, the value to Columbia College's students of enrolling in classes taught at Barnard is a "well-kept secret".