Berea College
Berea College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Berea College Featured Rankings
About Berea College
According to Wikipedia, Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. The college provides a work-study grant that covers the remaining tuition fees after subtracting the total sum a student received from Pell Grant, other grants, and scholarships. Berea's primary service region is southern Appalachia but students come from more than 40 states in the United States and 70 other countries. Approximately one in three students identify as people of color.
Berea College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,073 | 19% | 79% | 66% | 1245 | 25 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Berea College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $55,480 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $5,373 |
| 30K - 48K | $5,085 |
| 48K - 75K | $6,084 |
| 75K - 110K | $8,610 |
| 110K+ | $11,521 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Berea College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Berea College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $48,071 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Berea College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 1,505 | 1,505 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Berea College?
Berea College is located at 101 Chestnut Street, Berea, KY 40404-2182.
How Safe is Berea College?
Relative to its enrollment, Berea College has a violent crime rate of 0.26% and a property crime rate of 0.07%. Berea has a violent crime rate of 0.09% and a property crime rate of 0.86%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Berea College Known For?
Berea College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Sociology
- Literature
- Chemistry
- Religious Studies
- Education
- History
- Physics
- Communications
- Political Science
- Philosophy
- Economics
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Psychology
- Computer Science
- Nursing
- Medical
Berea College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Berea College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Berea College ranks #130 in the U.S. and #437 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesBerea College ranks #225 in the U.S. and #649 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesBerea College ranks #226 in the U.S. and #1084 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesBerea College ranks #264 in the U.S. and #1130 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesBerea College ranks #291 in the U.S. and #1187 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesBerea College ranks #329 in the U.S. and #925 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesBerea College ranks #363 in the U.S. and #1615 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesBerea College ranks #370 in the U.S. and #1357 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesBerea College ranks #401 in the U.S. and #1620 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesBerea College ranks #424 in the U.S. and #1393 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesBerea College ranks #429 in the U.S. and #2602 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesBerea College ranks #457 in the U.S. and #2724 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesBerea College ranks #469 in the U.S. and #1931 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesBerea College ranks #484 in the U.S. and #2049 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesBerea College ranks #583 in the U.S. and #1511 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesBerea College ranks #625 in the U.S. and #2813 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesBerea College ranks #659 in the U.S. and #1702 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesBerea College ranks #1010 in the U.S. and #3500 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWho Are Berea College's Most Influential Alumni?
Berea College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Sociology, Literature, and History. Here are some of Berea College's most famous alumni:
- Carter G. Woodson
- An African-American historian, writer, and journalist.
- Rocky Tuan
- A Hong Kong medical researcher and bioengineer.
- James Fieser
- An American philosopher.
- John B. Fenn
- An American analytical chemist.
- George Samuel Hurst
- An American health physicist and patent hoarder.
- Sumit Ganguly
- An American political scientist.
- James L. Powell
- An American geologist.
- Harold L. Moses
- An American cancer researcher.
- Mack A. Breazeale
- A Distinguished Physics Professor.
- John Welsh
- An American physiologist.
- Charles E. Bishop
- An American economist.
- Robert G. Lawson
- An American legal academic.
