Private nonprofit · College
Berea College
Berea, Kentucky · Distant town
- 19.3%
- Admit rate
- $6,106
- Avg net price
- 58%
- Graduation rate
- $43,150
- Median earnings
Berea College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Berea, Kentucky (distant town setting), enrolling 1,513 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Berea College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 19.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1156–1335
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.65
Enter a test score to see where you land against Berea College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Berea College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Berea, Kentucky
Berea is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The history of Berea is tied with the history of Berea College, which was founded in 1855. The Berea railway station was created in 1882 as part of the Kentucky Central Railroad, and later the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N). Due to the high number of arts and crafts produced, Berea is a tourist attraction. It hosts several crafts festivals throughout the year. Berea also hosts a Spoonbread Festival in mid-September, which features a cornmeal bread traditionally served with a wooden spoon. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 34 miles to Lexington, KY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 277 miles
- Nearest airport
- 36 miles to Blue Grass (LEX)
How Berea College compares
More selective than 95% · #1 most selective of 26 in Kentucky
Higher than 70%
Higher than 58% · #10 of 30 in Kentucky
Higher than 60%
Higher than 20% · #20 of 29 in Kentucky
Cheaper than 97% · #1 cheapest of 29 in Kentucky
Lower than 99%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 49%
Percentiles compare Berea College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Kentucky.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women84556%
- Men66844%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White42%
- Black20%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian3.7%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,513
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 84%
- First-generation students
- 41%
- Students over 25
- 3%
- Median family income
- $22,742
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $83,331
- Endowment
- $1,626,128,100
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 413 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Kentucky45%
- Other U.S. states45%
- International10%
A national draw — only 44% of first-years come from Kentucky; 44% arrive from other states.
10% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 19.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1156–1335
- SAT average
- 1249
- SAT reading
- 588–680
- SAT math
- 568–655
- ACT composite
- 23–28
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.65
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $51,658
- Room & board
- $8,208
- Books & supplies
- $750
- Total cost of attendance
- $60,718
- Average net price
- $6,106
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 58%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 24%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,676
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $43,150
- Median debt at graduation
- $3,591
- Students with federal loans
- 8%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 65%
About 23% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,520
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,002
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,890
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 292 (155 men · 137 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 13
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 8
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,527 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$8,132/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Berea College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $41,626. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 352 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $43,150
- Typical debt at graduation
- $3,591
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 8%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 42%
Typical debt would take roughly under a year to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $4,754 (11%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 29°F
- Annual rain
- 50.6″
- Annual snow
- 7.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Berea College, KY US station (0.1 mi from campus).
What Berea College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Berea College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Berea College side by side →
College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, Missouri · Distant town · 41 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,444
- Admission
- 12%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- 1118
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $42k
Brescia University
Owensboro, Kentucky · Small city · 29 mi to Evansville
- Students
- 545
- Admission
- 35%
- Net price
- $9k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $46k
Wilberforce University
Wilberforce, Ohio · Fringe rural · 17 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 822
- Admission
- 41%
- Net price
- $6k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $38k
Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, Minnesota · Small city · 66 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 669
- Admission
- 39%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $46k
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia · Large city · 6 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 4,729
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1153
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $44k
Belhaven University
Jackson, Mississippi · Midsize city · 2 mi to Jackson
- Students
- 1,471
- Admission
- 50%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1124
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $46k
Colleges near Berea College
Berea Beauty Academy
Berea, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 40 students
Medical Career & Technical College
Richmond, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 235 students
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY · Public · Bachelor's · 12,318 students
Kentucky Horseshoeing School
Richmond, KY · Private for-profit · Certificate · 31 students
Centre College
Danville, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,400 students
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Asbury University
Wilmore, KY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,420 students
Employment Solutions-College for Technical Education
Lexington, KY · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 203 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













