What are Berea College's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:
In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Berea College and build a strong application.
School location: Berea, KY
If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.
The acceptance rate at Berea College is 38.2%. For every 100 applicants, 38 are admitted.
This means the school is very selective. If you meet Berea College's requirements for GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and other components of the application, you have a great shot at getting in. But if you fall short on GPA or your SAT/ACT scores, you'll have a very low chance of being admitted, even if you meet the other admissions requirements.
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.
The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.
The average GPA at Berea College is 3.54.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
With a GPA of 3.54, Berea College requires you to be around average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, and very few C's. If you have a lower GPA, you can compensate with harder courses like AP or IB classes. This will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.
If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.54, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.
Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.
You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to Berea College. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.
Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.
The average SAT score composite at Berea College is a 1123 on the 1600 SAT scale.
This score makes Berea College Competitive for SAT test scores.
The 25th percentile SAT score is 1030, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1210. In other words, a 1030 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1210 will move you up to above average.
Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
| Math | 570 | 510 | 620 |
| Reading + Writing | 553 | 520 | 590 |
| Composite | 1123 | 1030 | 1210 |
The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.
Berea College has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Section."
This is also known as "superscoring." This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit.
Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.
For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:
| Section | R+W | Math | Composite |
| Test 1 | 700 | 300 | 1000 |
| Test 2 | 300 | 700 | 1000 |
| Test 3 | 300 | 300 | 600 |
| Superscore | 700 | 700 | 1400 |
Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, Berea College will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.
This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Berea College forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.
Therefore, if your SAT superscore is currently below a 1210, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.
Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Just like for the SAT, Berea College likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.
The average ACT score at Berea College is 25. This score makes Berea College Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.
The 25th percentile ACT score is 22, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 27.
Even though Berea College likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 22 or below, you'll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 25 and above that a 22 will look academically weak.
If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.
Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.
This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 27 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.
By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.
We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Berea College, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 27.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and ACT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.
Berea College considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require it.
Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.
We did not find information that Berea College requires SAT subject tests, and so most likely it does not. At least 6 months before applying, you should still doublecheck just to make sure, so you have enough time to take the test.
Because this school is very selective, strong academic scores are critical to improving your chances of admission. If you're able to score a 1210 SAT or a 27 ACT or above, you'll have a very strong chance at getting in.
For a school as selective as Berea College, rounding out the rest of your application will also help. We'll cover those details next.
But if you apply with a score below a 1210 SAT or a 27 ACT, you unfortunately have a low chance of getting in. There are just too many other applicants with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.
Pick your test:
SAT
ACT
Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?
At PrepScholar, we've created the leading online SAT/ACT prep program. We guarantee an improvement of 160 SAT points or 4 ACT points on your score, or your money back.
Here's a summary of why we're so much more effective than other prep programs:
There's a lot more to PrepScholar that makes it the best SAT/ACT prep program. Click to learn more about our program, or sign up for our 5-day free trial to check out PrepScholar for yourself:
Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Berea College here.
If you're interested in Berea College, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Berea College.
These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Berea College. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | 1238 | 27 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 1235 | 25 |
| University of Oklahoma | Norman, OK | 1210 | 26 |
| University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1184 | 27 |
| Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | 1180 | 26 |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT | 1175 | 26 |
| Ohio University | Athens, OH | 1170 | 24 |
If you're competitive for Berea College, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pace University | New York, NY | 1140 | 25 |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, FL | 1135 | 23 |
| Hampton University | Hampton, VA | 1130 | 22 |
| Washington State University | Pullman, WA | 1125 | 23 |
| University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | 1125 | 22 |
| East Carolina University | Greenville, NC | 1105 | 22 |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee, FL | 1105 | 21 |
If you're currently competitive for Berea College, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Berea College is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.
| School Name | Location | SAT Avg | ACT Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | 1081 | 23 |
| University of California, Merced | Merced, CA | 1080 | 20 |
| La Salle University | Philadelphia, PA | 1074 | 22 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA | 1069 | 24 |
| University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX | 1040 | 20 |
| California State University Northridge | Northridge, CA | 1030 | 19 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Indiana, PA | 1017 | 19 |
We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.
We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.
Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.
Our experts have written hundreds of useful articles on improving your SAT score and getting into college. You'll definitely find something useful here.
Visit our blog now.Subscribe to our newsletter to get FREE strategies and guides sent to your email. Learn how to ace the SAT with exclusive tips and insights that we share with our private newsletter subscribers.
You should definitely follow us on social media. You'll get updates on our latest articles right on your feed. Follow us on all of our social networks: