Founded in 1855, Berea College achieved national distinction as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education, and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls 1,650 students from 43 states and U.S. territories and 76 countries. Berea College only admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them a no-tuition promise, valued at more than $178,000 over four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and many are the first in their families to graduate college. As one of nine federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students hold a position in which they work 10-12 hours weekly. WashingtonMonthly ranked Berea College No. 1 as the Best National Liberal Arts College in 2016, 2017, 2018, and the No. 1 College in the country in terms of affordability from 2016 to 2019. Berea’s recognition comes from success in educating and graduating academically talented, low-income students who become service-oriented leaders in their professions and communities.
Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.
Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.