Home - Berea College Free to Dream. Driven to Do. Berea College provides a tuition-free education packed with opportunities for growth and hands-on experience. See how our students pay $0 Ranked Among the Best Berea College's students outperform expectations in every way: graduation rate, debt, and earnings. That's why we're proud this year to rank Berea the number one school in America. Washington Monthly 2025 #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars among more than 1,400 institutions in Washington Monthly’s 2025 College Guide and Rankings 5-star rating Berea College received Kentucky’s only 5-Star rating by Money Magazine #5 in Top Performers in Social Mobility by U.S. News and World Report Berea College students typically come from low-income families. A college degree is the catalyst for transforming their lives and their earning potential. The Berea Model chevron_right You Belong Here We’re looking for students with grit, determination and a hunger for learning; students ready to take on a rigorous, top-ranked education and turn it into a rewarding career; students willing to work, to grow and to expand their horizons in a diverse educational setting. We want students who want to join a community of support that is invested in their success. Is that you? Learn more about what Berea College has to offer. Student Voices Find what interests you Explore Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in null fields. Departments & Programs Directory (A – Z) chevron_right Low income, high potential We only serve students with limited resources, and we're built to help you to thrive. Tour campus Experience Berea's campus anywhere, anytime with a virtual tour or schedule an in-person visit. Life at Berea Imagine yourself here! The Heart of Berea Impartial Love chevron_right Since its founding, Berea College has believed in the power of education to transform students and employees from all walks of life. Founded by ardent abolitionist Rev. John G. Fee, the institution of Berea firmly believes we are made of "one blood." Learn more at berea.edu/impartial-love link No Tuition chevron_right Student debt disproportionately impacts economically disadvantaged students and families. That’s why Berea College has been paying for students’ tuition for more than a century. Learn more at berea.edu/no-tuition link Work to Learn chevron_right As a work college, Berea College hires every student to work at on-campus jobs that enhance their education and prepare them for life after college. Berea College is one of ten federally recognized Work Colleges. Our students enter the workforce with hands-on experience. Learn more at berea.edu/work-to-learn link Serving Appalachia chevron_right Berea's commitment to Appalachia means more than learning in a classroom. It means educating all students—from Appalachia and beyond—deeply about place. We seek to teach students the value of returning to their hometowns to improve their communities. Learn more at berea.edu/serving-appalachia link The Great Commitments Our Eight Great Commitments make up the moral framework that informs every action we take toward serving our students, our community and the world beyond. They encourage us to advance the power of love over hate, human dignity and equality, and peace with justice, among other principles. Distinctly Berean Berea is a special place. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Berea is a place where art, craft, music and the imagination thrive. At Berea, we nurture the whole student. The Farm and the Farm Store The farm is the oldest continuously operating student educational farm in the U.S. Craft Art and traditional crafts matter at Berea. Forestry Outreach Center and the Pinnacles The Forestry Outreach Center is the welcome center for our 9,000- acre forest and the #1 hike in KY. The Doris Ulmann Galleries The Doris Ulmann Galleries are home to the expansive and diverse Berea College Art Collection and exhibitions of contemporary art. You'll love it here Conveniently located 45 minutes south of Lexington, Kentucky, you will find a wealth of things to do, from grabbing lunch made with organically grown foods from our College Farm to shopping to hiking to exploring our student-made crafts. Find Your Place At Berea, academics is only part of the journey. We encourage our students to explore opportunities that will make their four years unforgettable—from studying abroad, to paid internships and work program positions that explore their range of interests. We even give every student a brand-new laptop to facilitate their learning. No other college in the nation offers scholarships and financial aid packages as generous as the ones Berea grants. We want to make all opportunities to learn, work or volunteer as accessible as possible. A Berea liberal arts education fosters exploration. Your coursework is taken from different disciplines while pursing a major that follows your own education and professional interests. Our students explore their interests through experiential learning opportunities. Because of that, graduates leave Berea positioned to succeed. Once I got into Berea, I was like ‘Great! I’m signing up for art classes. I’m signing up for humanities classes. I’m gonna study another language. I’m going to study abroad.’ Without Berea, I wouldn’t have done all of the things that allowed me to have a career in the creative space. Alix E. Harrow Hugo Award-winning Author History 2009 I grew up in east Tennessee. I did not even own a computer before I came to Berea. Cody Myers Senior Software Engineer at Red Hat Computer Science 2017 I wanted to learn how to code and be a better photographer. I wanted to learn how to make videos so that I could make skits. I got to explore. And because of that, I was able to create a career path that objectively did not exist when I started college. Akilah Hughes Host of Award-winning podcast, "What a Day" Communication 2010