Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, North Carolina · Website
$45,543
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$45,543
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Hickory, North Carolina with 1,359 undergraduates and 784 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $20,689 a year (tuition and fees $31,900). It admits 85% of applicants and 48% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $45,543 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$20,689
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$31,900
US median $11,837
Admission rate
85%
US median 78%
Completion rate
48%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,000
About $276 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$45,543
Rank 1,929 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $20,689
- Tuition and fees
- $31,900
- Cost of attendance
- $44,621
- Students with a need-based grant
- 39%
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $18,669
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $18,768
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,209
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,878
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,866
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $32,140 in 2015-16 to $31,900 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 85%
- Undergraduates
- 1,359
- Graduate students
- 784
- Part-time students
- 4.3%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 48%
- Retention rate
- 76%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 65
- Endowment
- $136.1M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,929 of 5,094 US colleges and 34 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $20,689 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $31,900 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 85% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 48% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 76% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,000 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $44,799 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $45,543 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 63% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 75% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
65 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 72 | $30,164 | $47,360 | $72,784 | $103,485 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 67 | $72,210 | $68,628 | $70,612 | $71,416 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $21,000 | $64,846 | $78,839 | $88,910 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 45 | $53,419 | $42,066 | $56,560 | $59,571 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $27,000 | $22,695 | $53,609 | $54,562 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,343 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $26,855 | $45,534 | Withheld | $86,176 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $27,000 | $40,610 | $44,131 | $47,382 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $25,585 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's | Master's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | $95,302 | $61,300 |
| Public HealthOnlineMaster's | Master's | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $82,751 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineDoctoral | Doctoral | 16 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 14 | $20,500 | $44,836 | $49,919 | $59,916 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $27,000 | $32,732 | Withheld | $48,597 |
| Human Services, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 12 | $33,755 | $39,939 | $56,364 | $57,050 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineMaster's | Master's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,033 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,786 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $102,015 | $120,193 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,303 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,359 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $85,294 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Hickory and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Lenoir-Rhyne University cost?
$20,689 a year is the average net price at Lenoir-Rhyne University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $31,900, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $44,621. Families earning under $30,000 pay $18,669 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Lenoir-Rhyne University?
85% of applicants are admitted to Lenoir-Rhyne University. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Lenoir-Rhyne University graduates earn?
$45,543 a year is the median pay of former Lenoir-Rhyne University students who work, 10 years after they started ($44,799 after 6 years). That ranks 1,929 of 5,094 US colleges and 34 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $100,594.
How much student debt do Lenoir-Rhyne University graduates have?
$26,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Lenoir-Rhyne University graduates, about $276 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 56% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Lenoir-Rhyne University?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Lenoir-Rhyne University finish within 6 years. 76% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Lenoir-Rhyne University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (72 master's graduates), Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (67 master's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (49 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 65 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.