Berea College taking steps to make education even more affordable for students

August 26, 2024

BEREA, Ky. – Berea College is continuing its work to make college more affordable by funding individual course fees for the 2024-25 academic year.

Thanks to a generous donor, all course-specific fees for students—which can run between $10 and $150 for some courses—are being covered.

This course fee support strengthens Berea College’s unique funding model of covering all tuition costs and meeting all additional college funding needs except what the government requires—without loans—for every student. Berea’s goal is to provide students with both exceptional educational access and financial freedom, and this funding helps to meet that goal. 

“As both the No. 1 college in the nation for educational access (New York Times) and the No. 1 national liberal arts college in graduating students without debt (U.S. News and World Report), we are excited to add another level to our already unique funding model that will provide even more financial freedom for our students,” said Berea College President Cheryl Nixon. “We are committed to continuously improving our financial-aid model, ensuring all students receive as much financial aid as possible.” 

From its inception, Berea College has been accessible to those who otherwise could not afford a college education. As such, Berea College students have not paid tuition since 1892. 

More than a century ago, Berea College began depositing all unrestricted estate gifts to the College—money or real estate left to the College in bequests of generous supporters—into the College’s endowment. In a nutshell, the earnings on this endowment, along with state and federal grants and contributions from alumni and friends, allow Berea to cover student tuition and additional costs. The endowment earnings also allow Berea to fund unique educational opportunities, such as paid internships for all students. 

Some Berea College courses charge a course fee to help cover the cost of materials (outside of textbooks) needed for that specific course, such as for a lab or for travel. Covering those fees for students is just another way Berea College is helping students graduate with little to no debt. 

“I am so incredibly proud of the work Berea College does to provide financial aid at the maximum level possible, and I want to thank the many people on campus who are working to provide clarity around Berea College’s financial-aid model,” Nixon said. “We will continue to improve our financial-aid model by working on innovative funding—like this year’s funding of course fees—whenever and however possible.”