Berea College is a private nonprofit institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Berea, Kentucky. It enrolls 1,513 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Excellent
88/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes63
Value97
Affordability99
Selectivity82
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Berea College admits 19.3% of applicants, which makes it genuinely competitive, so your application needs to be strong.
Acceptance Rate
19.3%
Very Selective
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1156 – 1335
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
23 – 28
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Berea College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↑
2.4 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $6,106 a year on average, it sits well below what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$51,658
Room & Board (on-campus)
$8,208
Room & Board (off-campus)
$10,981
Books & Supplies
$750
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,880
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,880
Total Cost of Attendance
$60,718
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$5,428
$30,001 – $48,000
$4,598
$48,001 – $75,000
$8,132
$75,001 – $110,000
$7,570
Over $110,000
$13,700
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$1,00010%percentile
$2,26825%percentile
$3,591Medianpercentile
$8,27975%percentile
$16,40090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Female students $3,450
↓ $141
Male students $3,525
—
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $2,958, close to what completers borrow ($3,591) but without the degree to show for it.
Graduation Rate & Retention
67% of students who start here finish within six years, and 83% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
67%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $43,150 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$43,150
Earning > $25K
71%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$35,100
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$37,800
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Stable ↑
4.7 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,513 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 41% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
1,513
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
41%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 41.8%633
Black 19.6%297
Hispanic 17.6%266
International 9.1%138
Other 7.5%114
Asian 3.7%56
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Berea College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Berea College offers
a varied set of programs:
30 distinct programs across
21 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
9:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$1.9B
Strong financial cushion supports aid and stability
Avg Faculty Salary
$80,039
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
141 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
29
21%
$103,546
Associate Professors
58
41%
$81,126
Assistant Professors
47
33%
$67,241
Instructors
7
5%
$59,574
Pros & Cons of Berea College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Berea College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Highly competitive admissions, many strong applicants are rejected
High published cost of attendance before aid
No graduate programs offered at this institution
Best for:
Based on the data, Berea College is a fit for
families focused on keeping net cost low; students seeking a highly selective peer group.
Frequently Asked Questions about Berea College
The questions families ask most about Berea College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Berea College hard to get into?
Berea College is highly selective. Its acceptance rate is 19.3%, so admitted students generally have strong grades, competitive test scores, and a well-rounded application.
What is the acceptance rate at Berea College?
19.3% of applicants are admitted. Fewer than a third of applicants get in, so treat it as a stretch rather than a safe bet. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Berea College?
Aim for 1335 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1156 and 1335 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Berea College?
Aim for 28 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 23 and 28 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Berea College cost?
Budget around $6,106 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Berea College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,150 a year against a net price of $6,106, about 7.1 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Berea College known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Information Systems, Communication & Media. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Berea College graduates earn?
About $43,150 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Berea College accredited?
Yes. Berea College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Berea College?
1,513 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Berea College?
67% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Berea College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Berea College located?
Berea College is located in Berea, Kentucky.
What programs does Berea College offer?
30 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Information Systems, Communication & Media. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Berea College?
9 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Kentucky
Other colleges in Kentucky share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
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Business
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Related Guides
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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At a typical four-year college, graduates leave owing about $20,846. At a small set they owe under $5,000, led by low-cost publics and one tuition-free school.
Student debt
Median debt
Net price
Berea College
College affordability
The Real Discount, Sticker vs Net Price at American Colleges
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Net price
Sticker price
Cost of attendance
Financial aid
College discount
The Selective Colleges Where Getting In Does Not Pay
Eight colleges admit under a quarter of applicants yet send graduates into pay below the four-year median. Most are arts conservatories and work colleges.
Acceptance rate
Earnings
Selectivity
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Outcomes
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