Gardner-Webb vs Lees-McRae College

Gardner-Webb University and Lees-McRae College, both located in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Gardner-Webb, a private Christian university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Lees-McRae's selective admissions (65%). While Gardner-Webb's student body is predominantly female (58%), Lees-McRae's gender distribution is more balanced. Both institutions excel in different areas: Gardner-Webb is known for its strong nursing and business programs, while Lees-McRae shines in outdoor recreation and environmental studies. With Gardner-Webb's higher graduation rate (62%) and Lees-McRae's smaller class sizes, prospective students can explore the detailed comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with their academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Gardner-Webb University	Lees-McRae College
Overview
Location	Boiling Springs, North Carolina	Banner Elk, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	59.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.9%	59.2%
Application fees	$40	$25
SAT range	960 - 1215	1040 - 1240
ACT range	18 - 24	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	26.0%
Total number of applicants	5,657	1,777
Total number of admissions given out	4,466	1,052
Admitted students who chose to enroll	447	247
Yield rate	10.0%	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	$42,350	$43,040
Average net price	$20,296	$25,894
Tuition	$31,220	$26,490
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,410 Meal plan: $5,130	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 $24,687	100.0% Average amount $18,350
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,370	75.0% Average amount $6,664
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,070	6.0% Average amount $13,196

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,983 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%	872 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Graduate students	1,458 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%	1 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	47.5%
International students	N/A	3.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,368	680
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina South Carolina Florida Virginia Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	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	47.6%	40.4%
Dropout rate	52.4%	18.2%
Transferred out	N/A	41.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,737 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $107,259 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,422 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $90,530 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,811 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $87,569 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,530 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $66,987 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,377 Year 2: $59,640 Year 3: $62,202 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,451 Year 2: $54,748 Year 3: $59,129 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,254 Year 3: $57,989 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,446 Year 2: $50,036 Year 3: $54,260 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,717 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,504 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,814 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,850	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

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.

Gardner-Webb vs Lees-McRae College

Gardner-Webb University

Lees-McRae College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About