Lees-McRae College vs Cumberland University

Lees-McRae College and Cumberland University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Lees-McRae, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and experiential learning. Cumberland, located in the vibrant city of Lebanon, Tennessee, prides itself on its strong academic programs and diverse student body. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Cumberland University	Lees-McRae College
Overview
Location	Lebanon, Tennessee	Banner Elk, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Rural: Distant
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	61.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.8%	59.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	$25
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1240
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		17.0%
Students submitting ACT score		26.0%
Total number of applicants	2,692	1,777
Total number of admissions given out	1,555	1,052
Admitted students who chose to enroll	591	247
Yield rate	38.0%	23.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	$43,022	$43,040
Average net price	$28,459	$25,894
Tuition	$24,336	$26,490
Room & board	$9,000	Room/dormitory: $5,400 Meal plan: $6,150
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $11,563	100.0% Average amount $18,350
Students receiving federal student loan	19.0% Average amount $5,119	75.0% Average amount $6,664
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $11,182	6.0% Average amount $13,196

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,257 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	872 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Graduate students	283 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%	1 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.3%	47.5%
International students	3.6%	3.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	551	680
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Tennessee Georgia Alabama Florida Texas	North Carolina South Carolina Florida Virginia Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Liberal Arts Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.5%	40.4%
Dropout rate	20.5%	18.2%
Transferred out	27.5%	41.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,788 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $62,414 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,549 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $61,438 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $48,548 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $47,311 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,566 Year 2: $41,261 Year 3: $44,695 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,267 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $42,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,752 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $37,954 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,951 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,915 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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

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Lees-McRae College vs Cumberland University

Cumberland University

Lees-McRae College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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