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Private nonprofit · Rural campus · verified rankings · federal data

Lees-McRae College

Students comparing Lees-McRae College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Banner Elk, North Carolina873 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Lees-McRae College: U.S. News ranks it #22 on Regional Colleges (South) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #935 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1141 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 873 undergraduates, admits 76.8% of applicants, and posts a 42.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $33,250; aid recipients pay $28,340 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,415.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
76.8%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$28,340

42% below the $48,450 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$43,415

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
42.1%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$17,375

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedLees-McRae College reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Lees-McRae ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Colleges (South)#22of 131Regional colleges (South)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#935of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1141of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Lees-McRae's position moves 45 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Lees-McRae

Lees-McRae College is a private nonprofit institution in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Federal data show 68.8% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $28,340 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $48,450 sticker cost against $28,340 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Lees-McRae College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$33,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
37.3%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$15,200

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $48,450 a year, but the average family pays $28,340 — a 42% difference. 37.3% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Lees-McRae's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    68.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    873

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Lees-McRae: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $33,250 and on-campus room and board is $15,200, for a published total of $48,450 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $28,340.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 76.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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