Money Names Berea College 20th Best Overall, 10th Best in the South
Money Magazine has named Berea College its 20th overall Best College and the 10th Best College in the South.
Editors have also found Berea College to be the best college in affordability. While they do not compile a separate list for affordability, their scoring formula captured Berea as having the best score of all the colleges in their ranking.
“We are excited about Money’s recognition of Berea College in this year’s rankings,” said Berea College President Lyle Roelofs. “As we continue to fulfill our commitment to providing educational opportunities to students who have great promise and limited economic resources —primarily from Appalachia—being recognized for that work ultimately helps us get the word out to students across the globe that even if they think they cannot afford to go to college, at Berea College, that may have that opportunity.”
To compile its 2022 Best Colleges list, Money looked at more than 2,400 four-year colleges with sufficient data and above-average graduation rates. From there, colleges were scored on 24 measures in three areas: quality, affordability and outcomes. In short: quality measures focus on graduation rates; affordability is weighed on the net price of a degree, student and parent borrowing and loan repayment rates; and outcomes are based on median earnings, the share of alumni working and the share of alumni earning more than other high school graduates.
“Berea College was founded as a Christian school with a mission of providing an education accessible to all,” Money says in its description. “In the past that meant Berea was one of the first colleges in the South to open its classes to people of color and women. Today, it means offering a path to a college degree for students with limited economic resources, especially those from the Appalachia region, where the college is located. As such, it’s not surprising that the small, liberal arts college is a standout for affordability, capturing the No. 1 spot for this measure in Money’s rankings. Nearly all first-year undergraduates are eligible for federal Pell Grants. Berea doesn't charge tuition—all students work a minimum of 10 hours a week… At the end of their college careers students leave with a labor transcript along with a degree.”
For more information, please visit: https://money.com/best-colleges/profile/berea-college/
Money magazine was first published by Time Inc., in 1972. Its articles cover personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement.