BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·berea.edu
6-yr Graduation
58%
+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,527
peer median 1,375
Avg net price
$4,483
-$16k vs Baccalaureate
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
3,857
3,857 candidates competed
Admitted
746
19.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
401
53.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
58%+2.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
36%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
58%
Full-time retention
79%

Pell equity

1.0pp gap
Pell recipients
56%
Non-Pell
57%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 37 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 27 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
37
Passing
8
21.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
5.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
5.4%
+4.8pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

37programs
  • Passing8 · 21.6%
  • No Data27 · 73.0%
  • Failing2 · 5.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
1
At Risk
1
Watch
4
Safe
3
No data
27

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

10
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-14.8%
$29,013 vs $34,058
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
-3.9%
$32,729 vs $34,058
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
+6.9%
$36,412 vs $34,058
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+12.6%
$38,352 vs $34,058
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+19.6%
$40,722 vs $34,058
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+19.7%
$40,768 vs $34,058
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+22.5%
$41,723 vs $34,058
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+54.0%
$52,456 vs $34,058

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
-3.9%
$1,329

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1926Next review Jan 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 4

  1. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  2. Jun 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Dec 2021Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,070
$30–48k$3,613
$48–75k$5,844
$75–110k$7,570
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$4,483
-$15,583vs Baccalaureate median $20,067
Federal loans
12.0%
In-state tuition
$49,326
Out-of-state
$49,326

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,297 students received $8.8M in Pell grants, alongside $302K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,297
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.8M
$8,812,622 total
Direct Loans
$302K
69 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1K
1 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$299K
67 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2K
1 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 172 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
172
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.7%
2017
4.3%
2018
12.0%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Berea College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs45
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

218 total completions
01Computer Sciences
3114.2%
02Visual/Performing Arts
2913.3%
03Business
2913.3%
04Social Sciences
2411.0%
05Biological Sciences
209.2%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
209.2%
07Health Professions
198.7%
08Education
177.8%
09Psychology
167.3%
10Parks/Recreation
136.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,527
12-mo unduplicated
1,505
Undergraduate
1,505
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
41%621
Women
59%884

Race / ethnicity composition

White
43.8%
Black
19.1%
Hispanic
16.4%
Non-resident
8.1%
Two or more
7.9%
Asian
3.9%
Unknown
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
236
125 M · 111 W
Women athletes
47.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$1.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$30K
$28K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Soccer
29 M · 28 W
$264K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
27 M · 28 W
$110K
Basketball
22 M · 14 W
$367K
Baseball
35 M ·
$155K
Cross Country
11 M · 15 W
$45K
Tennis
9 M · 9 W
$63K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
5.58
8 offenses · 1,433 students

3-year trend

4.892 yrs ago5.451 yr ago5.58Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
23
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
12
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
5
Rape
1
Fondling
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

8total
  • On campus6
  • Non-campus2

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
1
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs018
Liquor09

Residence-hall fires

  • Bingham Hall1 fire
    Damage $1,000-$9,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
140

Berea College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Berea College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBerea College
58%1,527$4,483Baccalaureate
Georgetown College
49%91.1%1,345$13,485Baccalaureate
Centre College
81%54.4%1,404$21,497Baccalaureate
Transylvania University
71%86.5%1,006$23,560Baccalaureate
Bridgewater College
53%91.7%1,448$20,173Baccalaureate
Simmons College of Kentucky
8%100.0%506$19,960Baccalaureate
Peer group median55%91.1%1,375$20,067

Frequently asked questions about Berea College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Berea College.

What is the graduation rate at Berea College?

Berea College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 58% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Berea College?

Berea College reports a total enrollment of 1,527 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Berea College?

The average net price at Berea College is $4,483 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Berea College?

Berea College's yield rate is 53.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Berea College located?

Berea College is located in Berea, Kentucky 40404-2182.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Berea College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card