Starting Psychology and Counseling Careers at Berea
Berea College appears on our list of 10 Tuition-Free Colleges Where You Can Earn Your Psychology Degree.
Ranked 61st nationally by the U.S. News & World Report, Berea College is a bachelor’s-only, tuition-free liberal arts school that awards the Psychology B.A. Major face-to-face in Kentucky for undergrads intrigued by human and animal behavioral processes. In the Frost Building, the 32-credit, four-year program chaired by Dr. Ian Norris encourages the research exploration of the complex mind. Berea Mountaineers take intensive, one-credit courses like Modern Biology, Ethology, and Cognition with 10 hours of weekly work for the Labor Program. Each Summer, several upperclassmen earn eight-week paid internships with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. Other opportunities include joining the Psi Chi Honor Society, attending the Green Dot Training, becoming Caux Scholars, participating in the SEPA Conference, writing The InΨder, researching in the Child Development Lab, taking the KIIS Israel-Egypt trip, and minoring in Social Justice Studies. Berea College alumni have an average starting PayScale wage of $39,600 yearly at Hopebridge, Maryhurst, Kindred Healthcare, Easter Seals, and more.
About Berea College
Berea College originated in 1855 when Church of Christ abolitionist John Gregg Fee opened the South’s first coed, non-segregated college at a one-building campus in the Cumberland Mountains. In 1859, it was closed and its founder was forced out of the pro-slavery region. After the Civil War, Berea College reopened in 1866 with a racially integrated class of 187. Seven years later, the first Bachelor of Arts was granted. In 1904, Kentucky passed the Day Law that banned integrated education though. After a failed Berea v. Kentucky suit, it was forced to segregate until 1951. In 1968, President Willis D. Weatherford stopped college-prep courses to focus entirely on baccalaureates. That same year, Berea College was selected among 40 small schools for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. In 2014, the Psychology Department’s Dr. Wendy Williams won the APA Emerging Leadership Award too. Endowed for $1.2 billion, Berea College now serves 1,613 Mountaineers from 58 nations on a 140-acre “College of Distinction” campus. On Niche, Berea boasts America’s 79th best liberal arts, 103rd best sociology, and 263rd top psychology courses. Essence magazine also named Berea the 18th best school for African Americans.
Berea College Accreditation Details
On February 27, 2015, Berea College submitted the Institutional Summary Form to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to begin the Level II accreditation reaffirmation process through 2025-26 under its ninth president, Dr. Lyle D. Roelofs, who received the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Teaching Fellowship. Located 348 miles south via Interstate 75 in Decatur, this elite 11-state Appalachia Region accreditor is authorized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to comprehensively evaluate Berea’s 34 bachelor’s majors and 38 minors. The 2018-19 Catalog for Forbes’ 295th top private college also listed these institutional memberships:
- American Council on Education
- Appalachian College Association
- Work Colleges Consortium
- Council of Independent Colleges
- Association of American Colleges & Universities
Berea College Application Requirements
Admission to Berea College is classified “moderately difficult” by Peterson’s because 600 of the 1,712 Fall 2017 applicants were chosen for a competitive 35 percent acceptance rate. First-year Mountaineers at Times Higher Education’s 231st best institution must exhibit academic merit in a college-prep curriculum. The Psychology B.A. Major considers four units of English, three units of Math, and two units of Science prerequisite. Ranking in the top 25th percentile of one’s class is preferred. Freshmen typically need a minimum 3.0 GPA, but the average is 3.45. Most score at least 20 on the ACT or 980 on the New SAT. Undergrads who’ve finished at least eight courses at regionally accredited colleges can transfer. Maintaining a cumulative GPA below 2.5 is ineligible. Each course must be graded at least “C” at or above the 100 level. Limited spaces are available for international students applying by November 30th. Non-native English speakers will need a 6.0 IETLS, 520 TOEFL pBT, 19 ACT English, or 450 SAT Reading mark. The Psi Chi Honors recognition will require top GPAs above 3.3 in psychology courses.
Berea College has a priority freshman deadline of October 31st for Early Action. Psychology B.A. Major transfers have a priority date of February 15th. New students must file required materials by March 31st at the latest. Previously enrolled undergrads have until October 31st for Spring, March 15th for Summer, and March 15th for Fall. The Declaration of Intent form is due May 1st with $50 deposits. Accordingly, complete the Berea Application online or download the PDF for free. Request official transcripts for mailing to Haaga House Box 2220 at 209 Chestnut Street in Berea, KY 40403. Test report submissions require ACT code 1492 or SAT code 1060. Other forms may include the home school supplement, Tuition Promise Scholarship application, GED certificate, teacher endorsement, personal statement, financial questionnaire, and résumé. Contact (859) 985-3500 or askadmissions@berea.edu for more information.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2018-19, Washington Monthly’s #1 best Southern value had Psychology B.A. Major tuition of $19,700 per term or $39,400 annually. Studying part-time incurred $1,313 per credit. Undergrads were billed a $50 activities fee, $104 health fee, $12 Pinnacle fee, $18 Student Government Association fee, and $370 technology fee each year. Living at the Madison County campus’ housing like Woods-Penniman Hall added $3,488 for yearly rent. Standard meal plans for the Mountaineer Dining Hall were $3,276 extra. Berea budgeted $700 for books, $800 for transportation, and $1,800 for personal needs. Annual bachelor’s attendance equaled about $50,054 on-site and $43,290 at home. However, the tuition-free college actually promises $0 out-of-pocket costs to save up to $157,000 total.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Student Financial Aid Office in Lincoln Hall connects 98 percent of full-time Berea Mountaineers to large offers averaging $29,154 each for $47.34 million combined. The Tuition Promise Scholarship is an automatic award for freshmen and transfers to cover full tuition. Everyone participates in the 10-hour Labor Program each week worth $6,000. Currently, the median leftover balance after is just $1,000. The Emilie Strong Smith Travel Grant would give Psychology B.A. Majors $500 for abroad trips. Psi Chi Undergraduate Scholarships gift $3,000 each year for students with minimum 3.3 GPAs. The Blue Grass Community Foundation has a March 15th deadline for awards like the Clark Scholars Scholarship, Emma E. Buckley Scholarship, and Gill-Elliott Scholarship. Students with expected family contributions below $5,235 benefit from the Kentucky College Access Program. Other state resources include the Kentucky Tuition Grant, Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship, and Mary Jo Young Scholarship. Still submit FAFSA applications coded 001955 for the Federal Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.
Keep reading about Berea College at the Psychology Department website.
