2. INVESTING IN LIVES OF GREAT PROMISE
Berea College offers a high-quality education to
academically promising students with limited
economic resources. Founded in 1855, Berea was
the first interracial and coeducational college in the
South. Today, Berea is consistently ranked as one of
the leading private liberal arts colleges in the USA
(Kiplinger’s Personal Finance: A Best Value College;
One of MONEY’s Best Colleges and 50 Most
Affordable Private Colleges; and Washington Monthly:
Berea College is the Third-Best Liberal Arts College
in the USA).
Berea earns this recognition by focusing on rigorous
academic programs coupled with a unique work
program, allowing students to graduate with little or
no student loan debt.
DISTINCTIONS
Many factors distinguish Berea College, including:
• No student pays tuition; each student receives
a Tuition Promise Scholarship worth nearly
$100,000 over four years.
• One of only seven federally recognized Work
Colleges in the United States.
• Known nationally for its innovative and
outstanding service-learning program.
• Extensive collection of materials and non-
commercial musical recordings documenting the
history and culture of Southern Appalachia.
• Outreach to Appalachia through federally
funded programs and student-led service projects.
• Multiple Compton, Fulbright, Truman, Udall
and Watson fellowship winners.
3. STUDENT PROFILE
Since its founding, Berea has welcomed students from
“all nations and climes” to learn and work here.
• 1,600 undergraduates, representing nearly every
state and more than 60 countries.
• 72 percent of students are from the Appalachian
region and Kentucky.
• The mean family income of a first-year Berea
student is under $30,000.
• 1 of 3 students are of color.
• 8 percent of the student body are from countries
other than the U.S.
• 96 percent of domestic first-year students are
eligible for federal Pell grants.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Berea’s educational experience provides students the
knowledge and skills to successfully navigate the
world. Berea provides a stimulating and challenging
environment. Whether in the classroom, attending a
Convocation, interning, studying abroad or linking
labor with academic goals, the educational experience
is truly like no other. Students have experiential
learning opportunities in and out of the classroom:
• Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees
are offered in 32 majors. There are also select
professional programs, independent, student-
designed majors and a dual-degree engineering
program.
• 15 teacher education programs.
• 16 national and international honor societies.
• Accreditation by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
• More than 300 students study, intern or teach
abroad each year, most with the generous support
of education abroad scholarships or grants.
4. FACULTY
The College retains excellent faculty from prestigious
graduate programs across the nation and the world.
• 132 full-time faculty
• 92 percent of full-time faculty hold the highest
degree in their fields
• 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
• Berea provides Tuition Promise Scholarships to
each student through its endowment and the
generous support of alumni, friends, organizations
and others who believe that family incomes should
not dictate students’ outcomes.
• Gifts to the Berea Fund support full-tuition
scholarships, labs, textbooks, classrooms, ongoing
operations and more. Every dollar is reinvested in
the College so that students receive a high-quality
liberal arts education.
• At least $4 million must be raised annually for the
College’s operating expenses.
ANNUAL EXPENSES
Because of Berea’s Tuition Promise Scholarships,
students pay no tuition and graduate with little or
no debt. The College assists students with the cost of
housing and meals based on the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The College only offers
students loans as a last resort.
LABOR PROGRAM
Student education at Berea involves academic and
work components, and there are transcripts for both.
• Students gain valuable workplace experience, earn
money for books, food and other expenses, and
their appreciation for the dignity and utility of
labor is enhanced.
• Every student works 10-15 hours per week while
carrying a full academic load.
• Students choose work options in more than 100
college and off-campus programs.
G R A D U A T E
D E B T - F R E E
Of those who borrow, the average
amounttotals$6,600overfouryears.
IN
5. STUDENT LIFE
Social/cultural activities augment the academic
and labor programs. Students also learn valuable
leadership and interaction skills:
• Convocations feature notable national and
international speakers, scholars and performers.
• A wellness program encourages healthy lifestyles.
• Through NCAA Division III, students can
participate in 7 men’s and 7 women’s sports.
• More than 60 student clubs and organizations
enhance student life.
CAMPUS CENTERS
Curricular/co-curricular activities are based on Berea’s
Great Commitments mission statement
(www.berea.edu/great-commitments). Centers
ensure that each Commitment is carried out,
enhancing the Berea experience for students.
THE BLACK CULTURAL CENTER (BCC)
provides services to support the recruitment, retention
and graduation of Black students at Berea College.
CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING
THROUGH SERVICE (CELTS) focuses on
student service and community engagement. Students
serve in volunteer programs, facilitate academic
service-learning courses and work at local non-profit
organizations and schools. CELTS also houses the
Bonner Scholars Program.
6. CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE
LEARNING fosters the personal, intellectual and
professional growth of students and instructors
through academic coaching, peer consultation, faculty
development, internships and career development
programs.
FRANCIS AND LOUISE HUTCHINS CENTER
FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
fosters understanding of and appreciation for “all
peoples of the earth,” offering education abroad
opportunities, international student/scholar services,
faculty/curriculum development and annual campus
programming.
LOYAL JONES APPALACHIAN CENTER
fosters the Great Commitment to Appalachia,
developing service-oriented leaders and integrating
educational programs; illuminating Appalachia, its
people and cultures; and assisting communities,
organizations and citizens to work toward the future
they envision.
WILLIS D. WEATHERFORD, JR. CAMPUS
CHRISTIAN CENTER offers opportunities for
worship, weekly prayer, interfaith dialogue and
intellectual and spiritual engagement with the Christian
faith through Convocations, lectures, workshops and
spiritual retreats.
CARTER G. WOODSON CENTER FOR
INTERRACIAL EDUCATION works closely with
the Black Cultural Center and the African American
Studies Program, supporting collaborations in
interracial education, equality and justice and shared
commitments to cultural understanding.
7. ALUMNI
Berea produces a significant variety of leaders in fields
such as education, science, healthcare, entertainment,
law, business and government.
• Nearly 18,000 alumni live in all 50 states as well as
in the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and in
75 nations.
• Distinguished alumni include: John Fenn, 2002
Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry; G. Samuel Hurst,
physicist and inventor of touch-screen technology;
Juanita M. Kreps, former U.S. Secretary of
Commerce; George Lester, developer of the
catalytic converter; Jack Roush, automotive
engineer, designer and owner of Roush Racing;
and Carter G. Woodson, the father of black history.
SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS FEATURES
Many of Berea College’s buildings and facilities
demonstrate sustainable living and environmental
stewardship, including:
• Lincoln Hall was the first building in Kentucky to
achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) certification.
• Deep Green Residence Hall is among the most
energy-efficient residence halls in the world. It
earned LEED Platinum-plus certification.
• The historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant
was Kentucky’s first green hotel, attaining LEED
Gold certification.
• Kentucky’s first ecological village is a sustainable
housing and learning complex at Berea College.
Ecovillage consumes 75 percent less energy and
water per capita than conventional housing.
• 9,000 acres of forest are managed sustainably.
Over 1,200 acres of farmland (including the
College garden and greenhouse) are used to grow
local foods and provide learning opportunities in
agriculture and natural resources.
