Lees-McRae College
Lees-McRae College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college in Banner Elk, North Carolina, serving traditional undergraduates (21 majors), online/distance adult learners (5 bachelor's), graduate students (4 master's), and Appalachian community-program participants through experiential, mountain-based education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1903
- HeadquartersBanner Elk, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Lees-McRae College does
Lees-McRae College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1903 and headquartered in Banner Elk, North Carolina, in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The institution serves traditional residential undergraduates, online/distance learners, graduate students, and a community program audience through a portfolio that includes 21 on-campus majors (e.g., Wildlife Biology, Wilderness Medicine and Rescue, Communication Arts & Design, Business Administration, Outdoor Recreation Management), five fully online bachelor's programs (Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Human Services, Special Education), and four graduate degrees (Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Healthcare Administration, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Master of Science in Human Services). The college also hosts the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW), a three-week residential program for low-income Appalachian women ages 30-55 that has served nearly 1,200 participants over a 40-year history across three sites.
The college's technology stack is conventional for higher education: Brightspace serves as the learning management system for online and on-campus course delivery, Handshake powers career services and employer connections, and a self-service portal handles registration, financial, and academic records. The classroom experience is anchored in the physical mountain campus — including the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Adventure Park Learning Lab, Beech Mountain ski training, Wildcat Lake, and equine facilities — enabling experiential learning programs that are difficult to replicate outside a similar geographic context. Infrastructure investments during the current presidency include a new facility master plan, with the institution articulating a Strategic Plan 2030.
Lees-McRae monetizes primarily through tuition and fees billed annually, with traditional undergraduate tuition and online program tuition forming the principal revenue streams; supplemental revenue comes from private donations, alumni giving, endowment income, and grants supporting programs like NOSW. The go-to-market is multi-channel: direct enrollment via a campus-visit and admissions motion for residential students, a self-serve/online enrollment motion for working adults, and channel partnerships — most notably a Fall 2025 MOU with Watauga High School offering a 50% tuition discount and pre-college credits, plus an articulation agreement with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute for transfer pathways in Emergency Management and Human Services. The college is governed by a Board of Trustees under President Dr. Herbert L. King, Jr. (16th president, since June 1, 2018), who is credited with nearly doubling the endowment during his tenure. No parent company, equity sponsor, or institutional investor is disclosed.
Lees-McRae College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lees-McRae College
- Legal name
- Lees-McRae College
- Website
- https://lmc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1903
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Lees-McRae College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college in Banner Elk, North Carolina, serving traditional undergraduates (21 majors), online/distance adult learners (5 bachelor's), graduate students (4 master's), and Appalachian community-program participants through experiential, mountain-based education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lees-McRae College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community & Adult Education (Municipal/Community Schools) (EDAAAEAB)
Keywords
Where Lees-McRae College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Banner Elk
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lees-McRae College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, including online/distance programs. Financial aid and scholarships offset some revenue.
- Private Donations and Grants: Endowment income, alumni donations, and grant funding support operations and scholarships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Undergraduate Tuition |
| Subscription | Annual | Watauga High School Partnership Rate |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Lees-McRae College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lees-McRae College is a private liberal arts institution founded in 1900 in Banner Elk, North Carolina, offering 21 residential undergraduate majors, fully online bachelor's degree programs, and graduate master's degree programs. The college emphasizes experiential learning across disciplines including wildlife biology, outdoor recreation management, wilderness medicine, and equine studies. It also operates the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW), a tuition-free program for adult learners.
Product overview
Lees-McRae College offers a comprehensive higher education portfolio consisting of on-campus undergraduate programs across 21 majors (Biology, Business Administration, Communication Arts & Design, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, English, Exercise Science, History, Musical Theatre, Nutrition Science, Outdoor Recreation Management, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Psychology, Religious Studies, Special Education, Sport Management, Theatre Arts, Tourism and Resort Management, Wilderness Medicine and Rescue, and Wildlife Biology), complemented by online/distance bachelor's programs in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Elementary Education, Human Services, and Special Education. Graduate offerings include Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Healthcare Administration, Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and Master of Science in Human Services. The institution supports these programs through technology platforms including Brightspace (LMS), Handshake (career services), and a Self-Service student portal. Specialized programs include the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW), a 20-year-old residential program serving Appalachian women ages 30-55.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Undergraduate Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 50-60 ranking in U.S. News and World Report Best Online Bachelor's Programs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Lees-McRae College
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lees-McRae College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Lees-McRae College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Watauga High SchoolcoreMemorandum of Understanding providing college preparation programs and 50% tuition discount for Watauga High School graduates effective Fall 2025. Includes programming exchanges and pre-college initiative offering free college credits.
- Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute (CCC&TI)coreArticulation agreements establishing direct transfer pathways for CCC&TI graduates in Emergency Management and Human Services programs to earn bachelor's degrees at Lees-McRae.
- Women's Fund of the Blue RidgeminorGrant funding to support the New Opportunity School for Women program improving educational, financial, and personal circumstances of low-income Appalachian women.
- Community Foundation of Western North CarolinaminorGrant funding to support the New Opportunity School for Women program.
- High Country Charitable Foundation, Inc.minorGrant funding to support the New Opportunity School for Women program.
- Berea College (New Opportunity School for Women)coreOriginal founding location of NOSW in 1987 at Berea College, Kentucky. Lees-McRae became second site in 2005. Third site established at Bluefield College, Virginia in 2013.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lees-McRae College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brevard College: Small private liberal arts college in Brevard, NC, also in the Appalachian mountains with outdoor/environmental programming emphasis. Comparable size, mountain setting, and experiential learning model.
- Berea College: Small private liberal arts college in Berea, KY, original founding location of the NOSW program in 1987. Comparable Appalachian-serving mission, small enrollment, and emphasis on serving low-income students.
- Montreat College: Small private Christian liberal arts college in Montreat, NC, near Asheville. Comparable size, mountain setting, and private college structure serving similar regional student demographics.
- Warren Wilson College: Small private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, NC, near Asheville. Comparable Appalachian setting, small enrollment, work-study and experiential learning emphasis, and Division III athletics structure.
- Mars Hill University: Small private liberal arts university in Mars Hill, NC, in the Appalachian mountains. Closest comparable to Lees-McRae by geography, religious heritage (Baptist origin), size, NCAA Division II athletics, and program mix.
- Barton College: Small private liberal arts college in Wilson, NC. Comparable enrollment scale, NCAA Division II athletics, and broad liberal arts program mix targeting traditional undergraduate students.
- Catawba College: Small private liberal arts college in Salisbury, NC. Comparable enrollment scale, NCAA Division II athletics, and broad liberal arts undergraduate program portfolio within North Carolina.
- Pfeiffer University: Small private university in Misenheimer, NC, offering undergraduate and graduate programs including online degrees. Comparable size, private nonprofit structure, and graduate/online program portfolio.
- Bluefield University: Small private Christian university in Bluefield, VA, host of the third NOSW site. Comparable scale, Appalachian regional identity, and private college structure serving similar student segments.
Regional players
- Appalachian State University: Public university in Boone, NC, in the same High Country Appalachian region as Lees-McRae. Competes for similar regional students and outdoor-program interest but with significantly larger scale and public funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lees-McRae College social profiles
Digital presenceLees-McRae College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lees-McRae College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Lees-McRae College subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Lees-McRae College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lees-McRae College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lees-McRae College
What does Lees-McRae College do?
Lees-McRae College is a private liberal arts institution founded in 1900 in Banner Elk, North Carolina, offering 21 residential undergraduate majors, fully online bachelor's degree programs, and graduate master's degree programs. The college emphasizes experiential learning across disciplines including wildlife biology, outdoor recreation management, wilderness medicine, and equine studies. It also operates the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW), a tuition-free program for adult learners.
Is Lees-McRae College a public or private company?
Lees-McRae College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lees-McRae College founded?
Lees-McRae College was founded in 1903. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Lees-McRae College based?
Lees-McRae College is headquartered in Banner Elk, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lees-McRae College make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are private Donations and Grants.
Who are Lees-McRae College's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brevard College, Berea College, Montreat College, Warren Wilson College, Mars Hill University, Barton College, Catawba College, Pfeiffer University and Bluefield University. Appalachian State University is listed as a regional player.
Does Lees-McRae College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lees-McRae College.
What industry is Lees-McRae College in?
Lees-McRae College's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHACAG, Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges, with a secondary code of EDAAAEAB, Community & Adult Education (Municipal/Community Schools). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.