Lees-McRae College
Private College in Banner Elk, NC. Six-year graduation rate 42%. Median 10-year earnings $43,415.
Ten years after entry, the median Lees-McRae College student earns $43,415 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 42%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $17,375 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 0.3 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
77% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. 2,084 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. Yield is low at 14%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Lees-McRae College →Academics
42% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 69% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. With 41% transferring out, this functions substantially as a stepping stone. The 11:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 817 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $29,833 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $23,030 at the $0–30k band to $33,664 at $110k+. 96% of students get grant aid averaging $18,588, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. Borrowing is widespread: 59% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 199 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,030 |
| $30–48k | $22,733 |
| $48–75k | $25,905 |
| $75–110k | $28,854 |
| $110k+ | $33,664 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 486 of these 817 students, totalling $2,940,666 — an average of $6,051 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Avery County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)