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Banner Elk HotelBanner Elk Hotel · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Colleges in and near Banner Elk

Banner Elk is a college town: 54 of every 100 residents are students

Lees-McRae College (672 students on campus) is inside the town. Across North Carolina, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town54% of residents are students

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Banner Elk. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
19,860 students on campus
Nearest college
0.4 mi
Lees-McRae College
Residents in college
54%
Above NC (6%)
Nearest community college
17.6 mi
Mayland · $2,626 tuition
Nearest public university
11.1 mi
Appalachian State · $7,579 in-state
Students on campus in Banner Elk
672
next to 1,242 residents

What stands out about college in Banner Elk

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town54 of every 100 Banner Elk residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.A college in Banner ElkLees-McRae College has 672 students on campus in Banner Elk, 42% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Appalachian StateLiving in North Carolina, Appalachian State University charges $7,579 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $25,212. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 17.6 miles awayMayland Community College in Spruce Pine: tuition and fees $2,626 a year for North Carolina residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Banner Elk

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

54 of every 100 Banner Elk residents are in college (NC: 6).

672students on campus at Lees-McRae College, next to 1,242 residents (dorm students count as residents)
54college students live in Banner Elk households rather than dorms
20.7median age · NC 39.1
31%of homes rented · NC 33%
$849median rent · 31% below the state
Cost of living$849/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIAHealthCDC estimatesB+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Banner Elk’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 13.2% of Banner Elk residents are below the poverty line, 9.9% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 13 points either way). 54% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (54% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Banner Elk’s median age is 20.7 (North Carolina 39.1), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Banner Elk

One private college within 0.4 miles, and one public college within 11.1 miles.

5 mi10 mi15 miAppalachian StateLees-McRae CollegeBanner Elk
University or collegeCommunity college
Lees-McRae CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 672 on campus · In Banner Elk77%admitted$28knet price42%graduate$43kearningsAppalachian State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 19,188 on campus · 11.1 mi · Boone90%admitted$17knet price75%graduate$52kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Banner Elk’s median household income ($86,382) falls.

Appalachian State University11.1 mi · Boone · sticker $23,169$20,840a year
Lees-McRae CollegeIn Banner Elk · sticker $49,498$28,854a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Banner Elk: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Lees-McRae CollegeAppalachian State
Appalachian State University75% graduate$52k earnings$20k typical debt
Lees-McRae College42% graduate$43k earnings$17k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Banner Elk

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Lees-McRae College, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Biology 27%Business 13%Education 13%Parks & recreation 12%Public administration 11%Public safety 10%Everything else 15%

Biggest programs

Zoology/Animal Biology48 graduates a year
$39k4 yrs out
Human Services, General36 graduates a year
$43k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections25 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods21 graduates a year
$46k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing14 graduates a year
$88k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations14 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Psychology, General8 graduates a year
$44k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Banner Elk

Is Banner Elk a college town?

Yes. 54 of every 100 Banner Elk residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across North Carolina. Lees-McRae College has 672 students on campus, next to 1,242 residents.

What colleges are in Banner Elk?

Lees-McRae College is inside the town. Mayland Community College is 17.6 miles away in Spruce Pine.

Why is Banner Elk’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 13.2% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 9.9% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 13 points).

What is the closest community college to Banner Elk, and what does it cost?

Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, 17.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,626 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $5,861, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Lees-McRae College?

Lees-McRae College admitted 77% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Banner Elk. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →