10-yr median earnings
$43,415
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Banner Elk, North Carolina
Lees-McRae College
Lees-McRae College is a private nonprofit institution in Banner Elk, North Carolina. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $43,415
- 10-yr median earnings
- 76.8%
- Acceptance rate
- $28,340
- Avg net price / yr
- 43.1%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Lees-McRae College pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 43%
- former-student earnings, US
- 76.8%
- acceptance rate
- 43.1%
- 150%-time completion
- +4%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Rural: Distant
Carnegie: Bacc: Diverse
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Lees-McRae College profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
F
College Value Score
38/100
Lees-McRae College
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C
$43,415
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$28,340
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
43.1%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$17,375
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C+
66.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
68.8%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$28,340
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
43.1%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 43.1%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Lees-McRae College vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Lees-McRae College ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Lees-McRae College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$43,415 Top 43% higher than 57% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Lees-McRae College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $43,415 | #2177 of 5103 | 57th |
| Average net price | $28,340 | #4318 of 5020 | 14th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 43.1% | #3448 of 4858 | 29th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 873 | #2309 of 5462 | 58th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
873
Undergraduate enrollment
76.8%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
43.1%
150%-time completion
$43,415
10-yr median earnings
68.8%
First-year retention
How Lees-McRae College ranks in North Carolina
State rank among 147 reporting North Carolina colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Lees-McRae College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $43,415 | #43 of 147 | 71st |
| Average net price | $28,340 | #135 of 146 | 8th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 43.1% | #90 of 142 | 37th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 873 | #88 of 153 | 42nd |
Highest former-student earnings in North Carolina
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University | $97,800 | $29,612 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-North Carolina | $92,405 | $38,436 |
| 3 | Davidson College | $81,400 | $17,379 |
| 4 | Wake Forest University | $78,158 | $28,719 |
| 5 | Elon University | $74,545 | $41,555 |
| 6 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $72,200 | $11,655 |
| 7 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $68,758 | $17,303 |
| 8 | Carolinas College of Health Sciences | $64,624 | - |
| 9 | Galen Health Institutes-Asheville | $61,480 | $28,602 |
| 10 | High Point University | $61,389 | $38,707 |
| 11 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | $58,708 | $17,618 |
| 12 | Queens University of Charlotte | $57,673 | $30,857 |
| 43 | Lees-McRae CollegeThis school | $43,415 | $28,340 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 76.8% |
| ACT Average | 23 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Lees-McRae College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$23,030 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$22,733 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$25,905 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$33,664 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Lees-McRae College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $33,250 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $33,250 |
| Average Net Price | $28,340 |
37.3%
Pell Grant Rate
59.4%
Federal Loan Rate
$17,375
Median Debt
$184/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Lees-McRae College swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $17,065 to $25,765 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +18.0%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$17,065
Highest year
$25,765
Most recent (2023)
$25,765
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $21,8332023 · $25,765
Over the same years, enrollment went -8.0% (888 → 817 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
White 56.5%
African American 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or More Ethnicities 1.1%
International 4.9%
Student body at a glance
66.7%
Female
40.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
68.8%
Retention Rate
$41,599
Median Earnings (6yr)
52.3%
Earning Over $25K
66.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 43.1% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 68.8% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $41,599 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $43,415 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 52.3% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 66.2% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $17,375 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $184/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Lees-McRae College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$87,523 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$60,108 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$50,085 median earnings
- Teacher Education and Prof…
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
$45,862 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$44,161 median earnings
- Human Services, General
Human Services, General
$43,273 median earnings
- Zoology/Animal Biology
Zoology/Animal Biology
$38,699 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's | 11 | $87,523 | $19,339 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 35 | $60,108 | $17,605 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's | 29 | $50,085 | $14,050 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's | 29 | $45,862 | $15,000 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 14 | $44,161 | $25,624 |
| Human Services, General | Bachelor's | 29 | $43,273 | $13,000 |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | Bachelor's | 33 | $38,699 | $23,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's | 5 | - | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 13 | - | - |
Nearby Schools
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Mayland Community College
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362 students
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Milligan University
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818 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
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Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Lees-McRae College? ▼
Lees-McRae College is a private nonprofit institution in Banner Elk, North Carolina. The acceptance rate is 76.8%. Undergraduate enrollment is 873 students.
How much do Lees-McRae College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Lees-McRae College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $43,415 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $41,599.
How much does Lees-McRae College cost? ▼
The average net price at Lees-McRae College is $28,340. In-state tuition is $33,250 and out-of-state tuition is $33,250. Median student debt at graduation is $17,375.
What is the graduation rate at Lees-McRae College? ▼
Lees-McRae College has a 43.1% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 68.8%.
Is Lees-McRae College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Lees-McRae College is $17,375, while former students earn a median of $43,415 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 40% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 66.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $184.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Lees-McRae College
- Compare Lees-McRae College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in North Carolina side by side.Browse North Carolina
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.