
Do I Qualify?
Berea College is Unique in American Higher Education
Berea College was founded on a bold principle, opening the doors of higher education to students with unlimited potential and limited financial means. Today, we proudly stand as the only college in America that exclusively serves students with high financial need and strong academic promise. Berea was built for you.
Intentionally designed to offer extraordinary support, Berea empowers students whose circumstances are limited but whose potential is unlimited. If this describes you, Berea may be where you belong.

The financial eligibility requirement is unique to Berea and is a direct response to our mission to serve students from limited financial means. We carefully assess each applicant’s financial eligibility to ensure we are admitting the students we are designed to serve. Estimating your financial eligibility is an important first step in discovering if Berea is your right match.

Berea’s competitive admissions process ensures that admitted students are well prepared for success in a rigorous academic environment. We have a limited number of spaces for each entering class, so we are looking for students who have demonstrated academic potential through coursework, grade point average, and ACT or SAT scores if provided.

We’re looking for students with grit, determination, and a hunger for learning; students ready to take on a top-ranked liberal arts education and turn it into a rewarding career; we value students willing to work, to grow, and who desire to strengthen the bonds between us—to serve, to give back, and to grow as one community. When we review an application, we consider more than just numbers on a piece of paper—we will consider the person you are today and who you hope to become.
