The Berea Model
The future of American higher education for 170 years.
Berea College is Brave. Bold. Boundless.
Since 1855, Berea has transformed lives through a tuition-free, work-focused education rooted in purpose, compassion, and community—empowering students of unlimited promise and limited means to succeed, lead, and pay it forward.
At a Glance
Berea College has paid every student’s tuition since 1892. In addition, the College covers as much housing, meals and fees as allowed by the FAFSA.
That's one faculty member for every nine students.
In 1855, Rev. John G. Fee made a brave and bold step in addressing who had access to education by seeking to admit women and men, Black and white, to live and learn together. Berea thereby became the South’s first interracial and coeducational college.
Since then, Berea has continued to address the most difficult questions facing higher education. In 1892, for example, Berea stopped charging every student tuition, making education accessible and affordable for students from Kentucky, Appalachia, and beyond.
About the same time, Berea developed a work program, in which all students worked on campus to support the institution and to support their own learning for the world that awaited them. It became one of the first work colleges in the country.
Today, with the value, purpose, and funding of higher education in question, Berea continues to serve as a national model for higher education.
How is Berea College a model for higher education?
Social Mobility: No. 1 Best College for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars among more than 1,400 institutions based on social mobility and public service (Washington Monthly, 2025)
Access: No. 1 in the country for access to education (New York Times, 2023)
Affordability: No. 1 for lowest educational debt for students (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
Work Preparation: One of ten federally recognized Work Colleges.
Transformative Teaching: Nationally recognized excellence in student-centered learning (U.S News & World Report, 2025)
Hear from Students and Alumni
Berea College is Exceptional. Empowering. Essential.
Financial stress and feeling out of place very often lead to a student dropping out and not finishing their degree. At Berea, we understand that our obligation isn’t complete just because we opened the door. We have created support mechanisms specifically for first-generation students and students who don’t come from wealth so that they can finish their education and successfully transition into life after college.
Beyond "No Tuition"
Berea College funds internship opportunities for every student to help them grow, learn and find their career paths.
Berea empowers its students by providing a laptop at no cost, which they can keep when they graduate.
We provide juniors and seniors with funds to buy professional clothing, and we even take them to a department store where a representative helps them make the best choices.
