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Hickory Municipal BuildingHickory Municipal Building · Photo: Tylerg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Hickory

Hickory is home to two colleges, with 3,557 students on campus

Lenoir-Rhyne University (2,041 students on campus) and Catawba Valley Community College (1,516) are inside the city. About 8% of Hickory’s residents are enrolled in college, above North Carolina (6%).

Lenoir-Rhyne University

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 Hickory. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
3
6,049 students on campus
Nearest college
0.4 mi
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Residents in college
8%
Above NC (6%)
Nearest community college
3.2 mi
Catawba Valley · $2,427 tuition
Nearest public university
38.7 mi
Appalachian State · $7,579 in-state
Median household income
$65K
prices below start here

What stands out about college in Hickory

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

A university in HickoryLenoir-Rhyne University has 2,041 students on campus in Hickory, 48% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 3.2 miles awayCatawba Valley Community College in Hickory: tuition and fees $2,427 a year for North Carolina residents.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.Students are 8% of residentsAbove North Carolina (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Hickory

One private college within 0.4 miles, and two community colleges. The nearest public four-year college, Appalachian State University, is 38.7 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miLenoir-Rhyne UniversityCatawba ValleyHickory
University or collegeCommunity college
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,041 on campus · In Hickory85%admitted$21knet price48%graduate$46kearningsCatawba Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 1,516 on campus · In Hickory · mostly online$11knet price35%graduate$37kearnings66% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Tuition and fees: $2,427 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Caldwell Community College and Technical InstituteCommunity college · Public · 2,492 on campus · 12.2 mi · Hudson$11knet price45%graduate$35kearningsTuition and fees: $2,526 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Hickory’s median household income ($64,576) falls.

Catawba Valley Community CollegeIn Hickory · mostly online · sticker $20,446 · tuition $2,427$13,129a year
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute12.2 mi · Hudson · sticker $20,188 · tuition $2,526$13,646a year
Appalachian State University38.7 mi · Boone · sticker $23,169$15,204a year
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityIn Hickory · sticker $44,621$17,209a 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: 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 →Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityCatawba ValleyCaldwell Community College and Technical InstituteAppalachian State
Appalachian State University75% graduate$52k earnings$20k typical debt
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute45% graduate$35k earnings$9k typical debt
Lenoir-Rhyne University48% graduate$46k earnings$26k typical debt
Catawba Valley Community College35% graduate$37k earnings$5k 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 Hickory

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Lenoir-Rhyne University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 24%Parks & recreation 22%Health professions 14%Education 7%Biology 6%Psychology 6%Everything else 22%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing49 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness40 graduates a year
$54k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods22 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. Left out: Catawba Valley Community College, where most students study only online.

Questions about college in Hickory

Is Hickory a college town?

No. About 8 of every 100 Hickory residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above North Carolina (6). The largest campus in the city, Lenoir-Rhyne University, has 2,041 students on campus.

What colleges are in Hickory?

Lenoir-Rhyne University and Catawba Valley Community College are inside the city.

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

Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, 3.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,427 a year for North Carolina residents; the federal net price, $10,528, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does Appalachian State University cost if we live in North Carolina?

Tuition and fees are $7,579 a year in-state and $25,212 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $9,325 (under $30,000 income) to $22,382 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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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 Hickory. 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 →