Meredith College vs Lees-McRae College

Meredith College and Lees-McRae College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Meredith College, a private women's college in Raleigh, North Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Lees-McRae College's 67%. With a larger student body, Meredith College offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like nursing, business, and education, while Lees-McRae College, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, specializes in outdoor recreation, environmental science, and business. While Meredith College's graduation rate stands at 63%, Lees-McRae College's is slightly lower at 58%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these colleges' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lees-McRae College	Meredith College
Overview
Location	Banner Elk, North Carolina	Raleigh, North Carolina
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	City: Large
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%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.2%	69.9%
Application fees	$25	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1040 - 1240	1098 - 1273
ACT range	20 - 26	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	26.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	1,777	1,706
Total number of admissions given out	1,052	1,192
Admitted students who chose to enroll	247	344
Yield rate	23.5%	28.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$43,040	$56,034
Average net price	$25,894	$21,717
Tuition	$26,490	$41,104
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,400 Meal plan: $6,150	$12,120
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $18,350	100.0% Average amount $29,442
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $6,664	63.0% Average amount $5,456
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,196	12.0% Average amount $16,787

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	872 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	1,427 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	1 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%	284 Men 11.3% Women 88.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	47.5%	9.8%
International students	3.3%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	680	1,163
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	North Carolina Virginia Florida Maryland South Carolina

Academics
Popular study areas	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business	Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
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%	68.5%
Dropout rate	18.2%	7.3%
Transferred out	41.4%	24.0%
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 (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $78,785 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,102 Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,128 Year 3: $45,966 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,114 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $39,557 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,866 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $38,786 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,843 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $38,313 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,612 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,995 Year 3: $34,856 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: N/A

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