Berea College
Private College in Berea, KY. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $43,150.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $43,150 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 58% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates leave owing a median of $3,591 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.08 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 19% means admission is the exception — plan accordingly. 3,857 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. 54% of admitted students actually enroll, which is a high yield by national standards. 6% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 588–680 | 24 (6%) |
| SAT Math | 568–655 | |
| ACT Composite | 23–28 | 142 (35%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Berea College →Academics
58% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention of 79% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 24% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. At 9:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,472 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $5,888 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $5,428 at the $0–30k band to $13,700 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 100% of students receive it, averaging $54,272. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 8% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 413 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,428 |
| $30–48k | $4,598 |
| $48–75k | $8,132 |
| $75–110k | $7,570 |
| $110k+ | $13,700 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 113 of these 1,472 students, totalling $398,923 — an average of $3,530 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Madison County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)