Lees-McRae College
Banner Elk, NC · private, nonprofit · 873 undergraduates
Lees-McRae College tennis: how many players, how much aid, what it spends per player
In its 2025 filing to the Department of Education, Lees-McRae College listed 8 players on the men's tennis roster, 20% below the NCAA Division II median of 10, and 9 on the women's, in line with the NCAA Division II median of 9. Lees-McRae College does report athletically related aid: in 2025 it came to about $9,573 per male athlete and $6,230 per female athlete across all sports; tennis's share is not reported separately, so what a tennis award covers is a question for the coach. Day-to-day operating spending in 2025 ran $1,251 per men's player, 48% below the NCAA Division II median of $2,420, and $2,805 per women's player, in line with the NCAA Division II median of $2,622.
Lees-McRae College, in Banner Elk, NC, fields 2 tennis teams, men's tennis and women's tennis, competing in NCAA Division II as a member of the Conference Carolinas.
Lees-McRae College's men's tennis roster is smaller than it was: 8 players in 2025, down from 9 in 2020. Lees-McRae College lists a single head coach and no assistant on the 2025 filing for men's tennis, which works out to about 8 players per coach, well above the NCAA Division II median of 5.2, by 55%.
Lees-McRae College's women's tennis roster has grown over 5 years, from 7 players in 2020 to 9 in 2025. Lees-McRae College lists a single head coach and no assistant on the 2025 filing for women's tennis, which works out to about 9 players per coach, well above the NCAA Division II median of 5, by 80%.
Each team page below covers roster size and its trend, coaching staff, spending per player against conference and division medians, and what the school and town are like for a recruit.
How does Lees-McRae College fund its athletes?
Lees-McRae College reported 384 athletes across all sports in its 2025 Equity in Athletics filing, 195 men and 189 women, close to an even split.
Athletically related student aid came to $3,044,319 across all sports ($1,866,830 for men's sports, $1,177,489 for women's); tennis's share of that is not reported separately, so a recruit should ask the coach directly what a tennis award typically covers.
Recruiting spending was $13,727 for men's sports and $17,920 for women's, tilted toward the women's side, or about $70 and $95 per athlete.
What is Lees-McRae College like academically?
Lees-McRae College is a small private, nonprofit university offering graduate degrees that admits 77% of applicants, moderately selective by national standards, where the median college admits 78%.
The full cost of attendance is around $49,498 a year, well above the national median of $25,497, but the average family paid about $28,340 after grants and scholarships, in the top quarter nationally, so aid covers roughly 43% of the sticker price on average.
42% of students finish their degree within six years, below the median of 52% and 69% of first-year students return for a second year.
Ten years after enrolling, former students earn a median of $43,415, above the median of $40,747.
What can you study at Lees-McRae College?
Biological & Biomedical Sciences is the largest field at 27% of degrees, followed by Parks, Recreation & Fitness (13%) and Education (11%).
The bachelor's degree programs below awarded the most degrees in the most recent College Scorecard field-of-study data.
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (35 degrees)
- Zoology/Animal Biology (33 degrees)
- Criminal Justice and Corrections (29 degrees)
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (29 degrees)
- Human Services, General (29 degrees)
- Biology, General (15 degrees)
- Psychology, General (14 degrees)
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (13 degrees)
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (11 degrees)
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs (5 degrees)
What is Banner Elk, NC like to live in?
Lees-McRae College sits in Banner Elk, a rural area of about 1,338 people in Avery County, North Carolina.
The median household in Banner Elk earns about $67,917, which is about the North Carolina median ($69,904) but below the national median ($78,538).
Housing costs more here than in most of North Carolina: a typical home is valued around $422,900, 63% above the state median and a typical rent of $879 a month is 24% under the state figure.
Getting around is quick: the average commute is 12 minutes against a national average near 27, and driving is common but not universal, though 10% of workers walk and 19% work from home.
It reads as a college town: 18% of residents are 20 to 24, roughly 2.8 times the national share, and the median age of 21 is younger than the country's 39.
45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, more than the North Carolina average of 35%.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Lees-McRae College have a tennis program?
- Yes. Lees-McRae College fields men's tennis (NCAA Division II, Conference Carolinas) and women's tennis (NCAA Division II, Conference Carolinas), per its Equity in Athletics filing to the U.S. Department of Education.
- How many players are on the Lees-McRae College tennis teams?
- In its 2025 filing to the Department of Education, Lees-McRae College listed 8 players on the men's tennis roster, 20% below the NCAA Division II median of 10, and 9 on the women's, in line with the NCAA Division II median of 9. Roster size shapes playing time: fewer players means a recruit is closer to the lineup, more means deeper competition for spots.
- Does Lees-McRae College give athletic aid for tennis?
- Lees-McRae College does report athletically related aid: in 2025 it came to about $9,573 per male athlete and $6,230 per female athlete across all sports; tennis's share is not reported separately, so what a tennis award covers is a question for the coach. EADA reports aid by gender for the whole athletic department, never per team.
- How much does Lees-McRae College spend per tennis player?
- Day-to-day operating spending in 2025 ran $1,251 per men's player, 48% below the NCAA Division II median of $2,420, and $2,805 per women's player, in line with the NCAA Division II median of $2,622. Operating spending counts day-to-day costs such as travel, uniforms, equipment and game-day expenses, not coaching salaries or aid.
- Where is Lees-McRae College?
- Lees-McRae College is in Banner Elk, NC, in the Southeast region of the United States.
- How much does Lees-McRae College cost?
- The College Scorecard lists an average cost of attendance of $49,498 a year, and an average net price of $28,340 after grants and scholarships.