Free College for Poorest Students Puts Ivy League to Shame

Free College for Poorest Students Puts Ivy League to Shame

www.alternet.org

Berea University in rural Kentucky is one of the wealthiest colleges in America but it only accepts the poorest applicants. The dropout rate is negligible and its students go out into the world debt-free, unlike the majority of those who emerge every year from America's universities, proudly clutching a degree but burdened by massive debts.

Berea is lucky. It has a $1bn endowment which, wisely invested, produces enough income, topped up by fundraising, to teach 1,500 students. Some of Berea's students even leave with money in their pockets.

Alex Gibson graduated in philosophy this year with $17,000 to his name. Now he is off on a year-long world study tour, funded by a generous travel grant.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I've been making an effort to pay more attention to the "good news" lately (though it can be hard to find these days). This article is a fine example that "good news" is still alive and kicking.

And hat's off to Berea University, I had never even heard of it before now...





www.alternet.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by SystemiK


This college is good news! I'm glad you posted this and nice to focus on the good for a change. I've never heard of this college before, but wow, way to go Berea!

I too saw this last night. I think its great and more people should look into schools like Borea. I think this school is one of the only of its kind but if people can start creating more schools like this. The free market needs to do SOMETHING because schooling costs are outrageous.

This is good news to read! Thanks for sharing.
College of the Ozarks in Missouri is another college offering a similar plan. I have heard of another one, but the name and location slip my mind.

Yeah thanks for sharing! This sounds awesome, there should be more universities like this. Not just in America but also the UK and Australia. It would definitely help to do something about the skills shortage here in Oz.

Its great to see good news on ATS. However, I do find this sort of interesting. The amount of work it takes to get into these schools and get a "free ride" is less than the amount of work it takes to get a free ride at a local university through scholarships. Just because your local university doesn't let everyone in for free doesn't mean you can't go for free

If anyone is looking for good news updates regularly from around the globe go check out www.globalgoodnews.com. Great site which I found the other day and keep up with, it beats looking at all of the crap around the globe not that I am saying it is good to be ignorant of the fact but what you put your attention on grows I feel, Kind of like...every action has an equal reaction.....anyway.....hope you enjoy this site...Outs!!!

How is this good news? Only the poor can get into this college, what about the middle class? I'm middle class and I have absolutely no money for college and my parents don't have any to give me either.

In Kalamazoo Michigan, if you goto their public schools, and graduate, you get free college. It is paid for by private donors .

Ama

What an excelent story...thanks for sharing...

Perhaps there is hope in this world...

reply to post by mnmcandiez


Scholarships and merit based aid. Its essentially the same thing. Its not that hard.

As someone who believes that all education at all levels should be entirely free as our Founding Fathers intended, I love to hear stories like this. However at the same time recognize that at our current state it is impractical and impossible to assume the same can be everywhere..

So good for the 1,500 students who attend such a school (my high school graduating class was larger then that) .. but to the millions of other college students in this country, here is to federally endorsed and promoted servitude level to that of indentured servants! .. Land of the broke, home of the worn down. Ah yes, when you think about it, it really is a great country to devout allegiance to......

Originally posted by Rockpuck
As someone who believes that all education at all levels should be entirely free as our Founding Fathers intended, I love to hear stories like this. However at the same time recognize that at our current state it is impractical and impossible to assume the same can be everywhere..

So good for the 1,500 students who attend such a school (my high school graduating class was larger then that) .. but to the millions of other college students in this country, here is to federally endorsed and promoted servitude level to that of indentured servants! .. Land of the broke, home of the worn down. Ah yes, when you think about it, it really is a great country to devout allegiance to......

Not to say anything bad about your post, and as a college student who doesn't attend Berea College, I completely agree that education should be free. Although, as a student from rural Kentucky, I'm pretty sure that most of the students at Berea are from Kentucky, and as for graduating classes mine was maybe 150...
By the way Berea College has a very beautiful campus, very nice school, I actually spent a week there in middle school as part of a program I was in, unfortunately as a middle classer, like so many, I was unable to go their... but very nice school and good to see more people learning about this great institution.