Graduates of Lees-McRae College earn median 4-year earnings of $50,979, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 11.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,802 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 37.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Lees-Mcrae College #1119 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's concentration in Biological Sciences, a field where employers actively recruit and career earnings tend to grow steadily through the first decade after graduation. The earnings pattern is anchored in the institution's largest and highest-returning programs. Business Administration is the dominant field, combining substantial enrollment with solid early-career pay. The Business Administration program graduates 35 students earning median 4-year earnings of $60,108, performing at 0.9× the national benchmark for the field. The Zoology/Animal Biology program graduates 33 students earning $38,699, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 29 students earning $45,862. Together, these programs form the core of Lees-McRae's degree output and drive the institution's overall earnings profile.
Graduates of Lees-McRae College earn median 4-year earnings of $50,979, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 11.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,802 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 37.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Lees-Mcrae College #1119 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's concentration in Biological Sciences, a field where employers actively recruit and career earnings tend to grow steadily through the first decade after graduation. The earnings pattern is anchored in the institution's largest and highest-returning programs. Business Administration is the dominant field, combining substantial enrollment with solid early-career pay. The Business Administration program graduates 35 students earning median 4-year earnings of $60,108, performing at 0.9× the national benchmark for the field. The Zoology/Animal Biology program graduates 33 students earning $38,699, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 29 students earning $45,862. Together, these programs form the core of Lees-McRae's degree output and drive the institution's overall earnings profile.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Lees-McRae College earn median 4-year earnings of $50,979, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 11.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,802 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 37.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Lees-Mcrae College #1119 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's concentration in Biological Sciences, a field where employers actively recruit and career earnings tend to grow steadily through the first decade after graduation. The earnings pattern is anchored in the institution's largest and highest-returning programs. Business Administration is the dominant field, combining substantial enrollment with solid early-career pay. The Business Administration program graduates 35 students earning median 4-year earnings of $60,108, performing at 0.9× the national benchmark for the field. The Zoology/Animal Biology program graduates 33 students earning $38,699, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 29 students earning $45,862. Together, these programs form the core of Lees-McRae's degree output and drive the institution's overall earnings profile.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Lees-Mcrae College's program mix is anchored in Biological Sciences, reflecting the institution's identity as a private liberal arts college in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The largest programs by enrollment are Business Administration with 35 graduates earning $60,108 four years after enrollment, followed by Zoology/Animal Biology with 33 graduates earning $38,699, and Teacher Education with 29 graduates earning $45,862. Across 11 total programs, 0 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, serving roughly 218 students annually. The institution's highest-earning programs reflect strength in applied and professional fields. Nursing leads with median earnings of $87,523 four years after enrollment from 11 graduates, followed by Business Administration with $60,108 from 35 graduates and Criminal Justice with $50,085 from 29 graduates. These earnings patterns reflect outcomes for graduates entering the workforce directly in fields with stable labor-market demand. Lees-Mcrae College's program portfolio emphasizes Business at 15%, Education at 13%, and Arts at 2%, positioning the college as a science and health-professions-focused institution in a region with growing demand for skilled workers in these fields. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these program families align with regional and national labor-market trends.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Lees-McRae College earn median 4-year earnings of $50,979, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 11.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,802 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Lees-Mcrae College in the 37.1 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Lees-Mcrae College #1119 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. These outcomes reflect the institution's concentration in Biological Sciences, a field where employers actively recruit and career earnings tend to grow steadily through the first decade after graduation. The earnings pattern is anchored in the institution's largest and highest-returning programs. Business Administration is the dominant field, combining substantial enrollment with solid early-career pay. The Business Administration program graduates 35 students earning median 4-year earnings of $60,108, performing at 0.9× the national benchmark for the field. The Zoology/Animal Biology program graduates 33 students earning $38,699, and the The Teacher Education program graduates 29 students earning $45,862. Together, these programs form the core of Lees-McRae's degree output and drive the institution's overall earnings profile.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
