monomania87

I heard Berea gives full scholarships to all of its students. But how come no one is interested in the school? Sounds like a deal to me... Am I missing something??

mrc36

You work for it

HiLine

Full scholarships to all students? You're kidding me.

justcallmefunk

you have to qualify financially for it, aka your family makes very little money per year. there is a cap, i dont know what it is

momofthree

There is an expectation that all students will work. There is also a ceiling on income, based on the number of family members. One final thing to note is that Berea has a mission to students from Appalachia, and a majority of the students are from this region. All of this said, it is a fabulous school, rich in facilities, in love of learning, and in opportunities for students in many academic areas.

myheartisinohio

umm... this school is in the middle of kentucky so its not very desirable location wise and its programs are not very highly ranked, most of them arent ranked at all

Athman

Hey guys, help has arrived! I graduated from Berea College in 2000. I was a Physical Education and Health Major...I loved the college...beautiful campus (facilities and landscape/location)...great professors and faculty...and small classes thus giving each student the opportunity to become known by their professors rather than just being a number (like at large college/universities such as UK, UL). There are so many buildings which have undergone renovations since I graudated...and this is one that many students find appealing...the year after I graduated all students were issued lap-top computers.

Technically, Berea College does offer a "tuition scholarship" to its students. Each student must apply for financial aide and meet the eligability guidelines ( a list of the fiancial guidelines for 2005 are listed below) Some obviously receive more than others depending on their family's income and situation. There isn't just an expectation that students will work...each and every student is assigned a student-work position upon being accepted to the college. After the first semester is complete, they can apply for different student positions...however they MUST hold a student-job the entire time they are enrolled at Berea. Students can select the amount that is held from each check (which comes in once a month) that they wish to have placed toward their term bill. Keep in mind that the hourly pay range is somewhere between $1.95 and $3.25 per hour and the maximum that a student can work is 20 hours per week...most are only allowed (by the labor supervisors to work 10 hours per week.) Some graduates, like myself, are lucky and don't owe a thing to the college as of their graduation date...others are not quite so fortunate.

Here is the current chart showing Eligibility Guidelines.

Financial Eligability Guidelines

2 or 3(in family)...$47,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)
4(in family)...$52,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)
5(in family)...$56,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)
6(in family)...$61,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)
7(in family)...$65,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)
8(in family)...$69,000(max Adjusted Gross Income)

For anyone who is interested Berea College does have a website which gives this information plus loads more. The site is www.berea.edu

Also if anyone is interested in getting a student's perspective from a Berea College Allumnus they can email me at juliaathman@yahoo.com

Hope this has helped.

Athman

It has come to my attention that some individuals have a negative view of Berea College. One such individual emailed me telling me of the horrible experience that she and her daughter had at a summer orientation session. Because of this she is letting everyone she knows know what a hipocritical place the college is. I have emailed her and am awaiting a response. Anyway, I just want to say that in general Berea College is a wonderful place...I mean, I attened classes with students from all over the world....Isreal, South Africa, England, Germany, Austrailia...just to name a few. And because the college was so small I had the opportunity to become friends with many of these people.

I do want to say that I am aware that all colleges have a "bad apple" so to speak as far as staff/faculty...every institution place of work, etc does. The individual who emailed me was telling me that the advisor was rude and degrading to her daughter. Now, I don't know who the advisor is/was...but I think that can occur at any institution of higher education in the world.

Please let me know what you think.

loser

Oh, I'm interested in Berea because my parents can't afford high tuitions and fees in most colleges in the US. I'm applying this year but I think it's very competitive for inte'ls because Berea states in its website that only 25 inte'ls admitted each year. However, I'll give it a try!

yucca

Berea,cooper union and olin...the only 3 schools I know that give full tuition scholarship to all students

Grad's wife

Hi all,

As my name says, I'm the wife of a Berea grad. I also worked at the college while my husband was going to Berea.

Despite some of the above comments, I'd like to say that I have only wonderful things to say about the school. On top of a free tuition, my husband received a stipend each semester to help cover the costs of our rent, etc. It is a great place for single parents who want to better their lot in life. There is a child development center that was just built that parents can take advantage of for their pre-school age children.

The students I worked with, from all over the world, were some of the most intelligent and caring individuals I've ever met. Yes, it's true, you have to meet eligibility requirements for financial eligibility. And as such, there are many students there who are the first generation of their family to attend college. The school was founded in 1855 by an abolitionist who opened the doors to men and women, regardless of race. Remember... this was PRE Civil War. Brown versus Board of Education was aimed directly at Berea College to effect segregation.

It now has a great mix of all kinds of people. Students get a chance to work and get skills AND contacts. A very high percentage of them go on to grad school because if they are wise, they will graduate with little or no debt... leaving grad school a great option. And the work ethic they gain at Berea is often refered to by grad students who come back and say that grad school is a breeze.

As far as ranking: up until this year, Berea College was rated the Number One Comprehensive College in the South by US News. This year, comprehensive colleges were done away with in their rankings and now Berea is in the liberal arts category so their rating is lower. IIRC, they are still in the top 100.

We did not live in the Appalachian region. They do accept any number of students from other areas of the country.

I hope this helps anyone considering Berea College because of its tuition program. It really is a wonderful place. True, they are also ranked as very selective. As such, Berea College is well known around the world in certain circles.

There are a number of noted graduates and a Nobel Prize winner too. Too many to go into in just this post.

I'm sorry to hear that someone had a bad experience. Everyone has bad days... both interviewer and interviewee. And Berea is not an easy place so perhaps the adviser saw something in this student that spoke to him/her that the student would do better elsewhere. Every college is not a perfect fit for every student. And I would venture to say that 99% of the students I met while working there and my husband going to school there all seemed to have a certain undefinable something that shone through.

If you are a video game addict, slacker, or full of yourself, you won't last there.

kCcer

I am an international student.
I like berea college. its full scholarship is what has attacted me towards it..

I have GPA: 3.5. unweighted
SAT score : plz dont consider. its not good at all.
Top 10%
ECA: so so so many.. will be few pages full...

Good recommendation from teachers and college. Very clear record.
Most Imp: Player of national A Division League Soccer team and Cricket team.
valedictorian of School.
Essay: I think a good one.

Any chance??

Other frens of mine are applying. they have good GPA and SAT scores. But ECA less than me. Can i compete with them?

CradleOfFilth

Just tell me your IBT and SAT score, then i can chance you

SkyGirl

Generally wht are the SAT score range of those who apply?
kCer, wht are the SAT scores of those kids in ur school?
P.S. u dont hv to worry though if the college think u deserve their education. Generally, schools like Berea look at the overall picture.

kCcer

my SAT scores are not that good thought.
I am depending upon my ECs to get some good college.