Berea College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 19%, Berea College is a highly selective private college in Kentucky. Because it turns away most applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Berea College weighs, where it ranks among Kentucky schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1230, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Berea College application deadlines, 2026-27
What do students study at Berea College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Berea College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Berea College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Berea College?
Berea College admits roughly 19% of applicants, but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Berea College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Berea College hard to get into?
Berea College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 19% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Berea College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Berea College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Berea College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Berea College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Berea College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Berea College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1250 SAT?
About 33% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1250 SAT, the middle of Berea College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1340 SAT comes out near 41%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/berea-college.
How to get into Berea College
Built from Berea College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Berea College, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Berea College carries about a 3.79 core GPA and a 1285 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1156 to 1335 SAT (23 to 28 ACT). Submit a score at 1246 or higher; below 1156, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Berea College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and interview highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Berea College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Berea College's exact dates at www.berea.edu.
How many students apply to Berea College, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Berea College received 2,073 applications and admitted 678, an acceptance rate of 32.7%. 413 enrolled. A yield that high means most admitted students choose Berea College over their other options, a sign the school is a first choice rather than a backup. Berea College enrolls about 1,513 undergraduates in total, 59% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Berea College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Berea College scored between 1156 and 1335 on the SAT (average 1249). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 23 to 28. A score above 1335 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1156 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Berea College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Berea College looks for
What Berea College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Berea College leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and interview. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Berea College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Berea College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Berea College cost after financial aid?
Berea College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $60,718 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $51,658. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $6,106 a year, and it ranges from $5,428 for families earning under $30,000 to $13,700 for families earning over $110,000. 84% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Berea College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Berea College student who received federal aid earns $43,150 a year, up from $35,676 at six years. 58% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $3,591; 8% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Berea College compares in Kentucky
Berea College ranks #1 most selective of 23 schools in Kentucky in our database.
Among the 23 Kentucky schools we track, Berea College ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Brescia University at 35%.
Similar to Berea College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Berea College with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as University of Miami, Vassar College, and College of the Holy Cross. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Berea College's acceptance rate?
Berea College admitted 678 of 2,073 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 32.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 61% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Berea College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1156 to 1335 on the SAT and 23 to 28 on the ACT. A score above 1335 is in the top quarter of admits. Berea College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Berea College test-optional?
Yes. Berea College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Berea College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Berea College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $6,106 a year against a sticker price of about $60,718. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $5,428 on average.
What do Berea College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Berea College are $43,150 a year among students who received federal aid, and 58% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Berea College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Berea College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and interview most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Berea College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Berea College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Berea College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Berea College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.