10-yr median earnings
$43,150
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Berea, Kentucky
Berea College
Berea College is a private nonprofit institution in Berea, Kentucky. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $43,150
- 10-yr median earnings
- 19.3%
- Acceptance rate
- $6,106
- Avg net price / yr
- 60.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Berea College pairs above-median former-student earnings with a very selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 43%
- former-student earnings, US
- 19.3%
- acceptance rate
- 60.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +21%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Distant
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Berea College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
B
College Value Score
72/100
Berea College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C-
$43,150
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A+
$6,106
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C-
60.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt A+
$3,591
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
81.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C
79.2%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$6,106
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
60.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 60.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Berea College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Berea College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Berea College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$43,150 Top 43% higher than 57% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Berea College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $43,150 | #2214 of 5103 | 57th |
| Average net price | $6,106 | #501 of 5020 | 90th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 60.1% | #2197 of 4858 | 55th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,513 | #1747 of 5462 | 68th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,513
Undergraduate enrollment
19.3%
Acceptance rate
1,249
SAT average
60.1%
150%-time completion
$43,150
10-yr median earnings
79.2%
First-year retention
How Berea College ranks in Kentucky
State rank among 70 reporting Kentucky colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Berea College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $43,150 | #22 of 70 | 69th |
| Average net price | $6,106 | #16 of 79 | 80th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 60.1% | #23 of 75 | 69th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,513 | #28 of 81 | 65th |
Highest former-student earnings in Kentucky
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre College | $66,240 | $20,781 |
| 2 | Bellarmine University | $62,069 | $21,499 |
| 3 | Galen College of Nursing-Louisville | $61,480 | $18,540 |
| 4 | Galen College of Nursing-ARH | $61,480 | $21,164 |
| 5 | Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville | $61,480 | $28,475 |
| 6 | Thomas More University | $59,384 | $21,835 |
| 7 | University of Kentucky | $59,025 | $18,851 |
| 8 | Transylvania University | $54,705 | $21,913 |
| 9 | University of Louisville | $53,899 | $17,988 |
| 10 | Georgetown College | $52,074 | $14,095 |
| 11 | Northern Kentucky University | $50,220 | $8,191 |
| 12 | Spalding University | $49,438 | $25,491 |
| 22 | Berea CollegeThis school | $43,150 | $6,106 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 19.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,249 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 568 – 655 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 588 – 680 |
| ACT Average | 26 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 23 – 28 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Berea College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $5,428
$0 – $30k
$5,428 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $4,598
$30k – $48k
$4,598 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$8,132 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$13,700 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Berea College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $51,658 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $51,658 |
| Average Net Price | $6,106 |
83.7%
Pell Grant Rate
7.6%
Federal Loan Rate
$3,591
Median Debt
$38/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Berea College swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $1,358 to $5,222 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +152.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$1,358
Highest year
$5,222
Most recent (2023)
$4,483
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $1,7762023 · $4,483
Over the same years, enrollment went -7.2% (1,587 → 1,472 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
55.9%
Female
40.6%
First Generation
Outcomes
79.2%
Retention Rate
$35,676
Median Earnings (6yr)
44.1%
Earning Over $25K
81.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 60.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 79.2% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $35,676 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $43,150 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 44.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 81.2% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $3,591 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $38/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Berea College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$82,491 median earnings
- Engineering Technologies/T…
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
$55,830 median earnings
- Business/Commerce, General
Business/Commerce, General
$52,456 median earnings
- Communication and Media St…
Communication and Media Studies
$41,723 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$40,768 median earnings
- English Language and Liter…
English Language and Literature, General
$40,722 median earnings
- Family and Consumer Scienc…
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General
$38,352 median earnings
- Education, General
Education, General
$36,412 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's | 22 | $82,491 | - |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | Bachelor's | 17 | $55,830 | - |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's | - | $52,456 | - |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 15 | $41,723 | - |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 17 | $40,768 | - |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 12 | $40,722 | - |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | Bachelor's | - | $38,352 | - |
| Education, General | Bachelor's | 8 | $36,412 | - |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 21 | $32,729 | - |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's | 6 | $29,013 | - |
| Agriculture, General | Bachelor's | 10 | - | - |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's | 6 | - | - |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's | 8 | - | - |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's | 10 | - | - |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's | 8 | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Berea College? ▼
Berea College is a private nonprofit institution in Berea, Kentucky. The acceptance rate is 19.3%. The average SAT score is 1,249. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,513 students.
How much do Berea College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Berea College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $43,150 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $35,676.
How much does Berea College cost? ▼
The average net price at Berea College is $6,106. In-state tuition is $51,658 and out-of-state tuition is $51,658. Median student debt at graduation is $3,591.
What is the graduation rate at Berea College? ▼
Berea College has a 60.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 79.2%.
Is Berea College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Berea College is $3,591, while former students earn a median of $43,150 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 8% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 81.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $38.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Berea College
- Compare Berea College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Kentucky side by side.Browse Kentucky
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.