What is a work college? It’s a four-year, degree granting, liberal arts education institution that requires all resident student hold a job throughout their four years of of enrollment.
This integration of employment and education can lead to economic mobility, says Chad Berry, Ph.D., vice president for alumni, communications, and philanthropy at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.
Berry joined me for an interview for WorkingNation Overheard at College Board Forum 2024 in Austin, Texas.
“Founded in 1855, we later became one of the South’s first work colleges because we stopped charging tuition in 1892 and have not charged tuition since,” explains Berry. “We have just over 1,500 students. They all must have high academic promise and low economic means. They have to be Pell Grant recipients in order to meet financial eligibility requirements.”
As a work college, all Berea College students have jobs on campus to help cover personal expenses. Says Berry, “It is very life changing. It’s not that we’re just offering access and affordability. We’re providing the students we serve with the highest quality of education possible. We like to quip that we provide the best education that money can’t buy.”
Berry says the institution has very few legacy students.
“Our alumni go on to really unimagined destinations because of educational opportunity than what they might otherwise have been able to do. It also means that their descendants usually won’t be eligible for admission because their children, their grandchildren, will not be able to meet the financial eligibility requirements.”
Learn more about Berea College.