Berkshire Community College

About Berkshire Community College

Berkshire Community College is a public community college located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The institution is classified by the U.S. Department of Education as predominantly an associate-degree-granting two-year college, the federal definition that anchors this site's index of community colleges nationwide. Like other two-year colleges in Massachusetts, it primarily serves local residents who are pursuing an occupational credential, an associate degree, or transfer-eligible general-education credit toward a bachelor's degree.

33% of undergraduates received a federal Pell Grant in the most recent reporting year — a useful proxy for the share of the student body from lower-income households. Median federal student-loan debt at completion was $12,053, well below national averages for four-year institutions. Tuition and aid are reported here as published rates from the College Scorecard; the price you actually pay can be considerably lower once you file the FAFSA and your eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid is calculated. For most community-college students, the realistic out-of-pocket cost after Pell and state grants is a small fraction of the published tuition.

Outcomes

Within 150% of normal program length, 19% of full-time entrants transferred to another institution. The transfer rate is the single most predictive metric for students intending to use Berkshire Community College as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree. The reported 150% on-time completion rate is 20%. Completion at two-year colleges is consistently lower than at four-year institutions because the population includes large numbers of part-time, working, and adult learners — but a higher completion rate within a given state is a meaningful sign of student-services investment. Median earnings of former students ten years after first enrollment, as matched against federal tax records, were $38,832. This figure includes graduates, transfers, and non-completers, so treat it as a directional indicator of post-college outcomes rather than a starting-salary projection.

Largest program areas

The federal classification of instructional programs reports the share of degrees and certificates each college awards by field. At Berkshire Community College the highest-enrollment areas are listed below in descending order by share of credentials awarded, with each linking to a plain-English program guide.

• Health Sciences & Nursing — Two-year nursing, allied health, and medical assisting programs that lead directly to in-demand clinical careers. (42% of credentials awarded)
• Liberal Arts & Humanities — Broad transfer-oriented general education preparing students for a four-year degree. (15% of credentials awarded)
• Business & Marketing — Associate degrees and certificates in accounting, management, marketing, and entrepreneurship. (10% of credentials awarded)
• Education & Early Childhood — Early childhood and paraeducator pathways, plus transfer routes into four-year teaching degrees. (7% of credentials awarded)
• Visual & Performing Arts — Studio, design, music, theatre, and film tracks emphasizing portfolio readiness. (6% of credentials awarded)
• Public Safety & Criminal Justice — Police academy, corrections, EMT, paralegal, and homeland-security pathways. (5% of credentials awarded)

Is Berkshire Community College the right fit?

Use the lists in the sidebar to compare against neighboring community colleges in Massachusetts on the metrics that matter for your situation. Students aiming to transfer should weigh transfer rate, completion rate, and the strength of articulation agreements with the four-year institutions they plan to apply to. Students pursuing a terminal credential should weigh program availability and the local employment market for that field, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook as a national reference and the state workforce agency for Massachusetts for regional wages and openings.

The data on this page is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which is updated annually from IPEDS reporting and federal financial-aid records. DegreeMapper reformats and cross-links that data; we do not collect it ourselves and we are not affiliated with Berkshire Community College or with any government agency.