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Lees-McRae College: cost, admission and results

Lees-McRae College is a private nonprofit college in Banner Elk, North Carolina. It has about 873 undergraduate students. It admits 77% of applicants. The average net price for students with federal aid is $28,253 a year.

At a glance

  • 77%Admission rate
  • $28,253Net price a year
  • 47%Graduation rate
  • $52,058Median earnings, 10 years on
Location
Banner Elk, North Carolina 28604
Type
Private nonprofit
Degrees
Mostly bachelor's degrees (four-year)
Setting
Rural area some way from a city
Undergraduate students
873
Graduate students
37
Students per teacher
11 to 1
Accredited by
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Website
lmc.edu

Getting in

Lees-McRae College admits 77% of those who apply, which makes it open to most applicants. The median admission rate of colleges on this site that report one is 77%. The midpoint ACT score is 23 out of 36.

What it costs

Tuition and fees for a year$34,770
Room and meals on campus$16,030
Books and supplies$620
Average full cost of a year (tuition, living, books), before aid$53,853
Average net price after grants and scholarships$28,253

The net price is what students who got federal aid paid on average for a year after grants and scholarships were taken off. It is 70% above the median net price of colleges in North Carolina on this site ($16,597). International students normally pay the published tuition and do not receive US federal aid.

Net price by family income

Family income a yearAverage net price
Up to $30,000$23,424
$30,001 to $48,000$21,588
$48,001 to $75,000$23,599
$75,001 to $110,000$28,496
Above $110,000$36,307

For students who received federal aid. A negative figure means grants were larger than the cost counted.

For an estimate that fits your own family, use the college's net price calculator.

Results

MeasureThis collegeNC medianUS median
Students who come back for a second year69%72%73%
Students who finish their degree (within one and a half times the normal length)47%45%49%
Median earnings 10 years after starting$52,058$46,097$53,132
Median federal loan debt of those who finish$16,500$21,590$19,994

Medians are the middle value of the colleges on this site in North Carolina and in the whole country. Completion and return rates count first-time, full-time students. Earnings and debt count students who received federal aid.

The students

46% of undergraduates receive a Pell Grant, the federal grant for students from lower-income families. 66% take a federal student loan. The undergraduate body is 67% women and 33% men. By undergraduate numbers it is number 65 of the 95 colleges in North Carolina on this site that report a size; the middle-sized one has 1,276.

Other colleges in North Carolina of a similar size

Common questions

What is the acceptance rate of Lees-McRae College?

Lees-McRae College admits 77% of applicants, according to the College Scorecard.

How much is tuition at Lees-McRae College?

Published tuition and fees are $34,770 a year. Most students with aid pay less: see the net price.

What is the graduation rate of Lees-McRae College?

47% of first-time, full-time students finish within one and a half times the normal length of the course.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, data released on 2 November 2026; checked in November 2026. Net price, debt and earnings describe students who received US federal aid. Costs change each year. This is official data for general information, not advice: confirm costs and admission rules on the college's own website and at collegescorecard.ed.gov.

All colleges in North Carolina How to read these figures