Congratulations, best wishes, and May grads' transcripts now reflect degree conferral

One last update for May 2026 grads before we reset the senior blog and link it to the Class of 2027 social media feeds:

If you are a May 2026 grad, your Barnard transcript should now reflect your May 2026 degree conferral date, as well as any Latin honors, departmental honors, senior requirement passed, and Phi Beta Kappa.  If you log into Student Planning and view your unofficial transcript, you should now see any of these things that apply to you.  Your diploma will make its way to the mailing address on your GradApp in 6-8 weeks -- if you need to update that address or want to pick up your diploma, you can email registrar@barnard.edu. 

Senior Blog posts from the 2025-2026 year will soon be archived, and this blog will switch to announcements for the rising-senior Class of 2027, so let me take this opportunity to once again congratulate you.  Your Barnard years included so much more than the usual challenges, and yet you did it.  We admire you; we are proud of you; and we miss you already.

It has been an honor and a pleasure serving as your class dean, and I wish you all the best for the future.

How do I drop a Columbia Summer Class and can I get my money back?

How do I drop a summer Columbia class?

If you are dropping a Columbia Summer class but not all of your summer CU classes, you may drop via Vergil.  If Vergil does not cooperate, please reach out to sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu and your class dean.  

What are the deadlines to drop a summer class and receive a full tuition refund? 

Summer A Session 

June 1 is the deadline to drop a summer session A class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session A as late as June 22, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Full-Term Summer Session (Summer X)

June 1 is the deadline to drop a summer session X class and receive a full refund.  
You may drop a summer session X class as late as July 20, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.

Summer B Session 

July 10 is the deadline to drop a summer session B class and receive a full refund. 
You may drop a summer session B class from your schedule as late as August 3, but you will be responsible for tuition and fees.   

This information is also available on the CU Summer Session website. 

Can I take my summer class for PDF grading? 

In theory, yes, but because Columbia summer courses are considered transfer credit, you will only be able to transfer your Columbia summer courses to Barnard if you take them for a letter grade and earn at least a C-.

If, knowing all that, you still want to take a Columbia summer class p/d/f, see the CU Summer website for deadlines and directions.

I want to drop all of my summer classes (even if all=1); how do I do that?  

In order to drop all of your CU summer courses, thereby withdrawing from the summer term entirely:

Consult with your Barnard Class Dean

Barnard Class Dean signs Approval to Withdraw form (click here).

Student fills out Summer Non-SPS Withdrawal Request Student Form and uploads signed approval.

Student receives confirmation from sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu approximately 3–4 weeks after submission, once the withdrawal is finalized.  Students should continue to watch Vergil and SSOL to see adjustments to their schedule and account details.

Please refer to the CU Summer Academic Calendar and to this page, which includes more details about refunds and drop and withdrawal processes.  If you have questions about your refund, please reach out to sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu if you have any questions at all. 

This information and forms are also available on the CU Summer Session website.

I heard that this takes three weeks to process! Should I be concerned? 

Refunds, drops and transcript notations should be based on the date of form submission, not the date the form is processed -- please be in touch with the Columbia Summer School (sps-summeradvising@columbia.edu) with any questions.  

Additional reason not to worry: Columbia Summer courses are considered transfer credit, so only completed CU summer courses that you pass with at least a C- and for which you have also submitted an approved Summer Course Approval Form will appear on your Barnard transcript.

Senior FAQ: When will I get my diploma? What's on it? How can I verify my graduation for a job or grad school?

When and how will I get my diploma?

Diplomas are sent approximately 8 weeks after the degree is awarded, to the address you provided when you submitted the Graduation Application. 

Oh no! I've moved or I don't know what address I put there!

If you need to update your diploma address for any reason, please email registrar@barnard.edu no later than June 1, 2026. You may also email registrar@barnard.edu to inform the College if you prefer to pick up your diploma in person when it is available in August. 

What if a grad school or an employer needs to verify my graduation before then?

Beginning June 15, your official transcript will confirm your graduation and/or you can request a verification letter from the registrar if needed.  Helpful links:

• https://barnard.edu/transcripts 
• https://barnard.edu/transcripts#verification-of-graduation-4
  

 

What's on my diploma?

Barnard diplomas are signed by both the Barnard College President and the Columbia University President and carry the official seals of both institutions.  The diploma lists the degree earned (Bachelor of Arts) and any Latin honors received (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude). Majors, minors, and departmental graduation honors appear on the Barnard transcript but not on the diploma.

Diplomas are in Latin and come with a translation on a separate sheet in case you are not fluent in Latin.

 

 

Important End-of-the-Semester Information for Completion of Coursework

Dear Students, As we come to the end of the spring semester, the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support wants to update you about final exam information and academic resources. We also want to remind you what to do if you experience anything that impacts your ability to complete work for your courses and final exams. One of the most important things to remember if you are experiencing difficulties is to reach out to your instructor and/or Class Dean. Your class dean is available to discuss your specific situation and offer advice and options. Academic Resources Personal Librarians: As you complete your final assignments for this semester, contact Barnard Library’s research and instruction team (Personal Librarians) for any support needed around research-based assignments, including senior projects. Librarians are available for individual consultations about ways to access online research materials and meet citation requirements for your papers and projects. Personal Librarians can assist in finding e-books, full-text articles, and open access sources.  Center for Engaged Pedagogy: The CEP has put together helpful guides for time management, active reading strategies, and a resource map that points you to various supports. Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS): Students who are registered with the Barnard Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services (CARDS) and have accommodations should be in touch with CARDS as needed to ensure that their accommodations align with end-of-term assignments. If a faculty member has specific questions about how to implement accommodations in their courses, CARDS is available for individual consultation at cards@barnard.edu. Deans’ Office Walk-in Hours (exam week only): If you have an emergent situation and need to consult with a dean during exam week, stop by the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support in 105 Milbank any time from 9:00am-5:00 pm (Thursday, May 7 through Friday, May 15, not including weekend days) to see the available dean on call. If you need to walk in via zoom due to illness, please email doas@barnard.edu for the zoom link. FINAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION: All students and instructors are expected to follow the official exam schedule. If you find yourself scheduled for three exams within a 24-hour period or four within 48 hours, you should fill out this form. Individual faculty members have discretion to allow or deny requests to take an exam at a time different than originally scheduled. If you need assistance with communicating with an instructor, you may contact your Class Dean. DEFERRED EXAMS: Students may defer an exam due to acute illness or personal emergency on the day of the exam. Please note our updated guidance for examples of when deferred exams are appropriate. Please also note that deferred exams are not appropriate in the following instances and will not be approved in these cases: Existing travel plans conflict with the exam date Concerns about passing the class Insufficient preparation for the exam More than one exam in a single day, provided that the student does not qualify for exam hardship as defined by the Registrar’s Office: three exams in a 24-hour period, or four exams in a 48-hour period. (This information, along with the form to submit in the event of exam hardship or conflict, can be found here.)  If you need to request a deferral due to acute illness or personal emergency, you must: a) Email your instructor, copying your class dean, on the day of the exam requesting a deferred exam. b) You must also submit an official request for a deferred exam in Slate. Your request will be reviewed, and you will be sent an email with details once a decision has been made. c) For Barnard classes, students should work with their instructor once the request has been approved to go over the details of their deferred exam. For students deferring a Columbia exam or students who receive testing accommodations through CARDS, Deferred exams will be given on Friday, September 11, 2026 and if applicable, Monday, September 14, 2026. Please be aware that deferred exams cannot be requested in advance of exam week. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Final and Deferred Exams."  ILLNESS DURING EXAM:  If you become ill during an examination: a) inform the proctor b) hand in the exam, and c) call Primary Care Health Services at 212-854-2091 to make an appointment. If you've completed less than 40 minutes of a two-hour exam or less than one hour of a three-hour exam, you qualify for a deferred exam (see above.) However, if you leave the exam more than 40 minutes into a two-hour exam or more than an hour into a three-hour exam, you'll be graded on the basis of the work you've completed to that point. INCOMPLETES: Incompletes are to be given only in cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances. If you need to request an Incomplete, and the instructor is amenable, please be in touch with your faculty member via email to obtain their approval. From there, you will need to submit an Incomplete Request Form in Slate. You will need to upload email confirmation from your instructor when you submit the Slate form. Note that these requests should be received by Thursday, May 7 (the end of Reading Period). If your course also has a timed final exam, please work with your class dean and also submit an official Deferred Exam request (see above). As a reminder, the official College deadline for completing Spring 2026 Incomplete coursework is Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Individual faculty may also set an earlier deadline for the work to be completed. Please note that incompletes apply only to coursework exclusive of the final examination. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to "Incomplete Grades." GRADES: Final grades are indeed final. Grades may be changed only in cases of clerical error or in the rare event that the instructor needs to reevaluate the work of the entire class. Grades may not be recalculated on the basis of reexamination or the submission of additional or revised work.  ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND THE BARNARD HONOR CODE: As you write papers or complete exams, whether in a proctored environment or in the comfort of your residence hall or off-campus residence, keep the College's Honor Code in mind. Under pressure, it can sometimes be tempting to make a regrettable decision, such as using untrustworthy and undocumented sources, collaborating on an exam, not following proper citation methods on a paper, or claiming someone else's work as your own. Doing something that might violate the Honor Code is NEVER the way to respond to a difficult or pressured academic situation. There's always a better choice. Please also be aware that any misrepresentation of your circumstances in order to obtain an exam deferral or an incomplete is a violation of the Honor Code. An additional word of caution: it is your responsibility as a student to be aware of your professor’s individual stance on the use of generative AI (ex. ChatGPT). If you are not sure about whether the use of generative AI is permitted in a course, you must consult with your instructor for additional guidance before using generative AI. Note that the Honor Code states that students must responsibly use electronic, print and other resources. ACADEMIC STANDING: Please be advised that all students should be aware of Barnard’s academic standing policy (please scroll down on this page to “Academic Standing and Degree Progress”) and how incomplete grades, deferred exams and/or withdrawal grades may impact a student’s academic standing. As noted in this policy, three or more incomplete, failing, or withdrawal grades may place a student on academic probation for the following semester. To discuss your academic standing, please contact your Class Dean.  We wish you all the best as you complete your work for the semester, and hope you have a restful, restorative summer. Sincerely, Holly Tedder Interim Co-Dean of the College Assistant Vice President and Vice Dean of the College- Student Support

Need to talk to a class dean during Finals? Stop by 105 Milbank (or Zoom if needed) any time 9AM-5PM, May 7-8 & 11-15 for Class-Dean Drop-ins

Need help with a time-sensitive issue affecting your ability to take finals, complete coursework, etc.?

• Never fear; your class deans are here!
• There will be a dean available for drop-ins every day of finals week, 9AM - 5PM beginning the last day of reading period. 
• Come see us in 105 Milbank
• Feeling under the weather? Email doas@barnard.edu or call 212-854-2024 to ask for the zoom link.

Senior Class Dean 2025-2026 -- Regular walk-ins for the semester will end on May 6th

NOTE: Wednesday, May 6th will be the last day of regular walk-ins for the semester. There will be walk-in hours for finals week to meet with any available dean on call from Thursday, May 7th - Friday, May 15th from 9AM-5PM. Please see this blog post.

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Got a quick question?

Need to talk to a dean ASAP?

If you have something complicated or want to be sure you can talk at length, please make an appointment via Dean Grabiner's online scheduler.

Otherwise, during the semester, you may walk in virtually or in person beginning at any of the times below.  

Tuesdays 3:30-4:30pm Eastern Time 

• Enter waiting room via this Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank,
  
• We will see students on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• If we run out of time and can't see you, we apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to schedule an appointment, to try walk-ins on a different day, or for time-sensitive matters, to call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

Wednesdays: Degree Audit Drop-Ins 3:30-4:30pm Eastern Time -- Last regular walk-ins will end on 5/6

• Enter waiting room via this Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank
• We will prioritize students seeking degree audit advice but will see other students if time permits 
• If we run out of time and can't see you, we apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to schedule an appointment, to try walk-ins on a different day, or for time-sensitive matters, to call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

Thursdays 3:30-4:30pm Eastern Time

• Enter waiting room via this Thursday Afternoon Walk-In Hours Zoom Link or visit 105 Milbank.
  
• We will see students on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• If we run out of time and can't see you, we apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to schedule an appointment, to try walk-ins on a different day, or for time-sensitive matters, to call the office at 212-854-2024 during business hours.

NOTE: If you need to schedule an appointment with Dean Grabiner, please note that she typically works remotely on Fridays, so all meetings will be conducted virtually over Zoom or via phone call ONLY on that day

Susan Ratner Speaking Series on May 1st!

The Writing Center is hosting its annual Susan Ratner Speaking Series lecture + workshop on Friday, May 1st, with Emma McMahon Murdock. 

Emma is a fiction writer and member of Bard Prison Initiative's writing faculty. 

The lecture and grammar workshop addresses writing in three scopes: Writing as a career; Writing as a pedagogical centerpiece; Writing as the act of laying words side by side. While exploring our writing processes, we will build writing habits that deepen our practices from both pedagogical and craft perspectives.

RSVP here if you can attend all or part of the event!

Academic coaching drop in hours - Finals prep!

Finals are right around the corner, and the Academic Coaches in the Deans’ Office for Advising and Support are here to help you cross the finish line with tips, tricks, and a space to get stuff done! 

If you are feeling stressed about exams and papers, need help organizing your study plan, or want to learn some new study strategies, come chat with an academic coach. Drop in hours will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons in Milbank 111. 

Sign up for a time that works for you using this RSVP form

Slate??? Student Planning???? Vergil???? Where do I go for which things????

Now that registration is fully in Vergil, are you feeling confused about which website to use for which information or tasks around your academic record?

Worry no more! The Registrar has you covered with this handy chart.

Also: Pro Tip: Almost anything that you need to do with courses/your record can be found under the Academics tab in the Barnard Portal.  

Network Science Symposium on April 23rd with special guest, Dani Bassett!

The Barnard Network Science Pedagogy Group is excited to announce its Network Science symposium with keynote speaker, Dani Bassett. Please join them on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30PM in Milstein LL001 if you are interested in attending!

All members of the Barnard and Columbia communities are welcome — faculty, students, trainees, staff, and others!