Lees-McRae College Acceptance Rate
Banner Elk, North Carolina · Private not-for-profit · 4-year or above
- Applicants
- 1,787
- Admitted
- 1,443
- Yield
- 13.8%
- Test policy
- Test-optional
Latest official IPEDS 2023–24 · Updated July 2026
Acceptance rate & applications over time
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.
Over the 10 years of federal data, Lees-McRae College's acceptance rate has risen from 62% in 2014–15 to 80.7% in 2023–24. Applications grew from 1,514 to 1,787 (+18%) over that period.
Its 80.7% rate makes Lees-McRae College more selective than about 40% of the 1,419 schools tracked here. Among 53 tracked North Carolina schools, it is more selective than about 32%.
In 2023–24, women were admitted at a higher rate (82.2% for women vs 78.5% for men, a 3.7-point gap). Lees-McRae College has been test-optional since 2020–21. Of admitted students, 13.8% enrolled (the yield rate) in 2023–24.
Full year-by-year table
| Year | Applicants | Admitted | Acceptance | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 1,514 | 938 | 62% | 216 |
| 2015–16 | 1,400 | 931 | 66.5% | 198 |
| 2016–17 | 1,531 | 965 | 63% | 187 |
| 2017–18 | 1,190 | 842 | 70.8% | 204 |
| 2018–19 | 1,462 | 836 | 57.2% | 222 |
| 2019–20 | 1,399 | 767 | 54.8% | 174 |
| 2020–21 | 1,430 | 1,048 | 73.3% | 195 |
| 2021–22 | 1,777 | 1,052 | 59.2% | 247 |
| 2022–23 | 1,733 | 1,063 | 61.3% | 212 |
| 2023–24 | 1,787 | 1,443 | 80.7% | 199 |
Acceptance rate by gender
| Group | Applicants | Admitted | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 1,139 | 936 | 82.2% |
| Men | 646 | 507 | 78.5% |
SAT / ACT ranges & policy
Test-optional (considered if submitted).
How Lees compares
Where this school sits among peers of similar selectivity — each dot is a school's current acceptance rate on the same scale.
Frequently asked
What is Lees-McRae College's acceptance rate?
Lees-McRae College's acceptance rate is 80.7% for 2023–24, the most recent year of federal IPEDS data (1,443 admitted of 1,787 applicants).
Is Lees-McRae College test optional?
Lees-McRae College is test-optional: SAT/ACT scores are considered if submitted but not required.
How many people apply to Lees-McRae College?
Lees-McRae College received 1,787 applications in 2023–24 and admitted 1,443.
Is Lees-McRae College getting harder to get into?
Lees-McRae College has become easier to get into: its acceptance rate went from 62% in 2014–15 to 80.7% in 2023–24.
How this is calculated
Acceptance rate = admitted ÷ applicants, first-time degree-seeking undergraduates, from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS Admissions (ADM) survey; institution details from the IPEDS Institutional Characteristics (HD) survey. Data span: 2014–15 to 2023–24. Official site: www.lmc.edu/.