Non-Degree Student
Berea College provides classes to a limited number of non-degree students by application. Non-degree student applications are available from and should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
The course load of a non-degree student may not exceed 2.25 course credits per regular term without permission of the Enrollment Policies Committee. Appeals may be submitted to the Registrar.
No more than six course credits earned as a non-degree student may be applied toward a Berea College degree. Non-degree students are not subject to the same financial restrictions for admission that apply to degree-seeking students; however, such restrictions are applicable if the student applies to be a degree candidate.
High School Non-Degree Student
High school non-degree students must be a junior or senior enrolled at Berea Community High School, Madison Southern High School, have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA, and the recommendation of the guidance counselor. Home-school students must meet the minimum SAT/ACT score for degree-seeking students. All students must have no outstanding student account balances.
Community Non-Degree Student
To be eligible to attend Berea College as a community non-degree student, an individual must, at the time of application, reside in Madison, Garrard, Jackson, or Rockcastle counties; be 18 years or older; and hold at least a high-school diploma or the equivalent at the time of enrollment. Community non-degree seeking students must earn a C or higher in each course to be eligible for continued enrollment.
Not competitive by nature, the admissions process for community non-degree students requires that they meet the same minimum standards for admission as a degree seeker—rank in the top 3/5ths of the high-school graduating class (or pass the GED with a total score of at least 2250 and no less than 410 on any of the five individual tests) and score a minimum of 17 on the ACT or 1210 on the SAT I Verbal, Math, and Writing exams. Exceptions to the stated criteria will be considered for international students and in cases where the non-degree student (either high school or community) can demonstrate basic proficiency in a discipline closely related to the course(s) of interest. Students who have earned more than 12 or more credit hours at a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 are exempt from the standard admissions criteria.
Berea College graduates or former degree-seeking students who did not complete a degree are eligible to enroll as non-degree students in on-campus courses. Work taken as a non-degree student in these circumstances may not count toward a degree at Berea College.
Regular full-time and part-time Berea College employees, with permission of their supervisor and the Director of Human Resources, may take one (1) course per term. College employees must be in good standing if they are former Berea College students.