North Carolina Wesleyan College vs Lees-McRae College

North Carolina Wesleyan College and Lees-McRae College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Wesleyan, a private Methodist college, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Lees-McRae's selective admissions (65%). While Wesleyan's student body is predominantly female (60%), Lees-McRae maintains a more balanced gender ratio. Both colleges excel in different areas: Wesleyan is known for its strong nursing and business programs, while Lees-McRae shines in outdoor recreation and environmental studies. With Wesleyan's higher graduation rate (58%) and Lees-McRae's lower cost of attendance, prospective students are encouraged to explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with their academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lees-McRae College	North Carolina Wesleyan College
Overview
Location	Banner Elk, North Carolina	Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	65.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.2%	28.0%
Application fees	$25	$100
SAT range	1040 - 1240	860 - 1120
ACT range	20 - 26	15 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	26.0%	49.0%
Total number of applicants	1,777	2,220
Total number of admissions given out	1,052	622
Admitted students who chose to enroll	247	193
Yield rate	23.5%	31.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$43,040	$45,171
Average net price	$25,894	$20,208
Tuition	$26,490	$32,996
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,400 Meal plan: $6,150	Room/dormitory: $5,350 Meal plan: $6,568
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $18,350	98.0% Average amount $25,442
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $6,664	64.0% Average amount $6,265
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,196	3.0% Average amount $9,778

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	872 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	1,424 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	1 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%	107 Men 23.4% Women 76.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	47.5%	N/A
International students	3.3%	10.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	680	826
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina South Carolina Florida Virginia Georgia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	40.4%	40.3%
Dropout rate	18.2%	25.2%
Transferred out	41.4%	34.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,914 Year 2: $63,935 Year 3: $66,973 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,268 Year 2: $44,649 Year 3: $49,738 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,351 Year 2: $34,393 Year 3: $36,519 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,325 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $36,175 Zoology/Animal Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,174 Year 2: $20,596 Year 3: $25,820 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,052 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,560 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,244 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: N/A Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,980 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,579 Year 2: $40,222 Year 3: $43,046 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,717 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $42,974 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,559 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $41,610 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,057 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $38,703 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,727 Year 2: $31,773 Year 3: $34,629 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,052 Year 3: $33,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,518 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $33,106 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,201 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Lees-McRae College

Shorter University