Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, NC · Private · Small city · LRU
Private institution in Hickory, NC · 1,348 undergraduates · 81% acceptance rate · $45,543 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $23,3931,366th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $30,9001,368th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $30,9001,286th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $57,6491,665th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $26,0001,445th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,5431,326th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,799905th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 51.0%1,118th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 71.0%1,188th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 80.7%935th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,3481,183rd largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 15.0:11,317th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 39.8%717th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 42 mi (CLT)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 42 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $54,453 | $48,265 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $35,213 | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBusiness | bachelors | $35,060 | — |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $29,685 | $29,374 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $22,771 | — |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | $17,779 | — |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Area StudiesArea & Ethnic Studies | bachelors | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Evangelical Lutheran Churchsource
- Founded in 1891source
- Athletic nickname: "Bears"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIsource
- Mascot: Joe Bearsource
- Motto: "ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς (Greek)"source
- Campus size: about 107 acressource
- Formerly known as "Highland Academy"source
- Formerly known as "(1891)"source
- Formerly known as "Lenoir College"source
- Formerly known as "(1891–1928)"source
- Formerly known as "Lenoir–Rhyne College"source
- Formerly known as "(1928–2008)"source
- Athletic conference: SACsource
- Football rivalry: Catawba vs. Lenoir–Rhyne{{cite web |title=Lenoir–Rhyne Football History vs Catawba |url=https://lrbears.com/sports/football/opponent-history/catawba-college/29 |website=Lenoir–Rhyne University Athletics}} (since 1907)source
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division II with football · NCAA Division II
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $5,852,290 (M $3,337,618 · W $2,514,672)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Lacrosse
- Other Sports
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Lacrosse: 2023
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitelr.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 198835)
- Compare colleges in NCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in North CarolinaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Lenoir-Rhyne University vs Queens University of CharlotteHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.