Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, is distinctive in higher education. Every admitted student receives a four-year tuition scholarship and works 10 hours per week in a campus job.

ESSENCE Magazine ranks Berea College 18 out of 50 on its list of top colleges for African-Americans. ESSENCE collaborated with MONEY Magazine to “create a definitive list of schools that serve us the most,” said Kenneth Terrell, a writer with ESSENCE.

Drawing from federal data that MONEY Magazine uses for its annual list, ESSENCE added their own criteria for racial climate, including representation (meaning that African-Americans had to make up at least 5% of the enrollment), affordability, and post graduate earnings. During the 2015-2016, academic year African-American students made up 20.3% of Berea’s student body, an increase from 19.8% in the previous academic year.

Berea College was the first interracial and coeducational college in the south. Berea only admits academically promising students with limited financial resources, and awards every student a tuition promise scholarship, meaning no student at Berea pays tuition. Berea is also one of seven federally recognized work colleges, and each student works 10 hours or more weekly, earning money for books, supplies, housing, and food.