The Princeton Review has once again cited Berea College as “one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduates to earn their college degree.” This citation was made in their just-released publication of The Best 386 Colleges: 2021 edition of the annual college guide.
Berea is nationally recognized for its high-quality education and its distinctive labor program, which hires every admitted student to help operate the school. Berea is also known for its Tuition Promise Scholarship that covers more than $44,000 in annual tuition costs for every student. Berea’s students mostly come from families making an average of $29,000 and are the first in their families to attend college.
Only about 14 percent of America’s 2,800 four-year colleges are profiled in the guide book. The Princeton Review includes colleges in the book based on data it annually collects from administrators at hundreds of colleges about their institutions’ academic offerings. The Princeton Review also considers data from surveys of college students who rate and report on various aspects of their campus and community experiences for this project.
“We are gratified that Berea College is again recognized among America’s top schools,” said Lyle D. Roelofs, president of Berea College. “Berea’s no-tuition promise is especially important to our students, all of whom deserve a high-quality liberal arts education like Berea College offers, but are not able to afford to pay tuition.”
The company does not rank the schools in the book hierarchically, from 1 to 386. Instead, it reports 62 ranking lists of top 20 schools in the book in various categories that are important to prospective applicants and their parents. The rankings in this edition are based on the company’s surveys of 143,000 students at the 386 schools in the book. The Princeton Review has also recognized Berea as:
- Among the best 142 colleges in the Southeast
- Best value college, based on academic rigor, affordability, and graduates’ career outcomes
- Best Green College
- Tuition-Free Schools
Roelofs pointed out that the national attention on Berea from organizations such as The Princeton Review helps families connect with a school that will meet their needs. Such recognition also shows the importance of Berea’s many alumni and friends whose contributions replace tuition so that each student’s outcome is not limited by one’s financial situation.
“We salute Berea College for its outstanding academics and we are truly pleased to recommend it to prospective applicants searching for their personal ‘best-fit’ college,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief and lead author of The Best 386 Colleges.