Berea joins other colleges with ‘non-test’ admissions option

BEREA, Ky. (WTVQ/Berea College Public Affairs) – The coronavirus outbreak and resulting shutdowns, including schools, have forced colleges and universities to rethink the way they approach new students.

Thursday, Berea College announced it is joining a long list of more than 1,000 schools, including the likes of Harvard and Notre Dame, in allowing prospective students to apply for admission without requiring standardized test scores.

In making the announcement, the college noted the COVID-19 pandemic has created insurmountable barriers for standardized testing for students across the country, and “especially for the students and families that Berea College serves.”

By offering its scholars a choice between submitting or not submitting their test scores, Berea also more closely aligns its admissions policies with the college’s mission to serve low-income, high-achieving students from the Appalachian region, the college said in a statement.

“Berea College’s Office of Admissions has always been committed to a holistic assessment of each student’s potential, but will now rely more heavily on modern and data-backed indicators of college readiness likeGPA, rigor of coursework, writing ability, extra-curricular and service involvement, and teacher or counselor recommendations. In doing so, the College hopes to enroll an even more competitive and deserving incoming class,” the statement read.

The 2021 application for admission opens on Wednesday, July 8. Apply for free at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College admits only academically promising students with limited financial resources, primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia, although students come from 40 states and 70 countries.

Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition.

Berea is one of eight federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly, earning money for books, housing and meals.

The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character. www.berea.edu