Berea College at a Glance

Berea Overview

Berea College offers a high-quality liberal arts education to students who have great promise but limited economic resources. Founded upon inclusive Christian principles in 1855, Berea College was the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. The College promotes understanding and kinship among all people, service to communities in Appalachia and beyond, and sustainable living practices that set an example of new ways to conserve our limited natural resources.

Tuition and Other Costs

Every Berea student is awarded a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. The amount of the scholarship will vary depending on financial need and the presence of any additional outside scholarships. The important thing is that, together, these resources cover the entire cost of tuition, which totals $24,100 for the 2010-11 school year. The tuition cost to students and their families is $0.

But a Berea education isn’t free. We have the same financial obligations as other colleges. The difference is our endowment. It’s a resource made available by people who believe exceptional students shouldn’t be denied an outstanding education. This endowment helps offset the costs of higher education and allows our students to focus on their schooling, not how they’re going to pay for it.

Majors, Minors, and Programs

Berea College offers 32 majors, 26 minors and the ability to independently construct a major in your own are of interest.

• Review our majors

Enrollment

• 1613 undergraduates representing 45 states, 1 Territory (Guam), 1 student from the Armed Forces-Pacific, and 58 other countries
• 69% of students from the Appalachian region and Kentucky
• 23% minority student enrollment—368 students (not including international students)
• 7% international student enrollment—114 students

Athletics

• Intercollegiate program of 10 men’s and 10 women’s sports.
• Member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA);
• Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) member.

Location

Berea, with a population of 13,500, is located 35 miles south of Lexington, where Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region meets the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains. The Kentucky legislature designated Berea the “Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky.” The College is located near the center of town and is easily accessible by car from Interstate 75. Driving time from Louisville, Kentucky; Knoxville, Tennessee; or Cincinnati, Ohio is about two hours. Commercial airline service is available through Blue Grass Airport in Lexington.

Address

Berea College, Berea, KY 40404, Phone: 859-985-3000; toll-free: 800-457-9846

Facilities

The College environment is designed to enhance student learning, and features:

• 140 beautifully landscaped acres on central campus.
• Historical buildings showcasing many eras of American architecture, including Draper Hall classroom building (modeled after Philadelphia’s Independence Hall); Phelps Stokes Auditorium (a 1,500 seat facility built by students in 1904); Danforth Chapel; Fairchild Hall (the first brick building on campus); Jekyll Drama Center; Seabury Center (for physical education and health); and the Woods-Penniman Crossroads Complex.
• A residential campus with 14 residence halls and 9 specialty houses, plus 50 family housing apartments, accommodating about 88% of students on campus.
• Berea College Ecovillage student family housing complex, including a state-of-the-art child care center for 120 children. The Ecovillage models sustainable living with ecological design elements to vastly reduce energy and water usage, and to model sustainable living.
• 7,700 acres of forest and 1,200 acres for instruction in agriculture and natural resources.
• Historic Boone Tavern Hotel on College Square, staffed with a number of student workers.

Faculty

144 full-time

Student/Faculty Ratio

11-1

Living Alumni

17,832

Graduation Rate

62.3% (Statistics show that the types of students we serve have a less than 10 percent chance of graduating from college by the age of 24.)

Distinctions

• Each student receives the equivalent of a full-tuition scholarship worth $24,100 annually.
• Nationally recognized labor program in which all students participate
• Serves the Appalachian region and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
• Best collection of resources documenting the Southern Appalachian region, gathered over nearly a century.
• Multiple Compton, Fulbright, Truman, Udall, and Watson fellowship winners.
• Listed in Princeton Review’s “The Best 371 Colleges” in 2009.
• Listed as a “Best Buy” college in 2009 by Forbes magazine.
• Rated among the top 25 by Newsweek as “Most Desirable Small Schools,” “Most Desirable Rural Schools,” and “Most Diverse Schools.”
• Among the “Most Wired” colleges in American as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
• Listed by Washington Monthly as #4 among America’s top liberal colleges
• National recognition for innovative and outstanding service learning.