A university based out of Kentucky by the name of Berea College, is an incredible model of how educational institutions can make a change and confront inequalities in higher education. It should be noted here that Berea College was not included in Mamie’s research above, since its pricing model does not charge its majority of students any tuition.

Berea College was originally founded in 1855, by a man named Rev. John Greg Fee. Fee was an abolitionist who believed in equal education for all races and has faced shut-downs and segregation alike throughout its history. It had been opened just 6 years before the Civil War and was the first interracial college in the South (Berea College 3). Berea College has a unique model where they do not accept applicants who can afford to pay for college- instead, they only accept those who cannot afford a typical education. Berea strictly relies on donors to keep their operations afloat, and it’s a system that has not failed them yet. 96% of their students were Pell Grant recipients, with 51% of the student body having an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0 (Berea College 8). On top of that, a staggering 58% of the student body are first-generation students (Berea College 10). Berea College’s graduation rate sits at 61.9%, which meets the national average university graduation rate of 62.3% (Berea College 15). Looking to Berea College as an example of how we can advocate for change within the educational system is tantamount when addressing issues of inequality, and how to overcome them.