Lees-McRae College

About Lees-McRae College

Lees-McRae College is a private, Presbyterian-affiliated four-year liberal arts college located in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Founded in 1899 by Rev. Edgar Tufts and named for Suzanna Lee and Elizabeth McRae, the college sits at 3,700 feet elevation in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains on a 460-acre campus. Lees-McRae is acclaimed for its innovative experiential learning, including the renowned May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center—a functioning veterinary wildlife hospital where undergraduates diagnose and treat over 1,500 animals annually. Other signature programs include Pre-Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Biology, Wilderness Medicine and Rescue, Ski Industry Business and Instruction, Outdoor Recreation Management, Musical Theatre (B.F.A.), CCNE-accredited Pre-licensure Nursing (BSN), and competitive online degree-completion and master's degrees. Lees-McRae is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor's and master's degrees, fields 24 NCAA Division II athletic programs in Conference Carolinas, and holds multiple national collegiate cycling championships.