LR at a Glance

Fast Facts


Students walking along campus sidewalk with LR red banners on light posts

Lenoir-Rhyne is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. 

University Information


  • Founded in 1891 by four Lutheran pastors
  • Three locations: Hickory, N.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.
  • Motto: Veritas vos Liberabit (the truth shall set you free)
  • Alma mater: “Fair Star of Caroline”
  • Mission, vision and values
More About Lenoir-Rhyne

Student Body


  • 2,230+ students
  • 1,477 undergraduate (on-campus in Hickory, N.C.)
  • 753 graduate (on-campus and online)
  • Student distribution: 39 states/territories; 75 North Carolina counties; 29 countries
  • $30+ million awarded in scholarships and financial aid annually
  • $200,000+ in study abroad scholarships for LR students
  • 17,643+ living alumni (undergraduate and graduate degree holders) from all 50 states and many countries around the globe

In the Classroom


  • Majors Offered: 45+
  • Minors: 53
  • Graduate Programs: 20
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15:1
  • Average class size: 22
  • Faculty: 127 full time; more than 80% hold terminal degrees
Explore Our Academic Programs

Athletics


  • Mascot: Joe Bear
  • Conferences: South Atlantic Conference
  • Affiliation: NCAA Division II
  • Teams: 23
Explore Bears Sports
Prof. Daniel Grimm Play video

At most schools, undergraduate students are assigned to someone else’s larger research project and get a small piece of it. The choice and control our students have to do their own research is unique.

Daniel Grimm, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Biology
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Move-in crew of four people high-five in parking lot outside Fritz-Conrad

As LR welcomes its largest incoming class since 2020, see the numbers, majors, and fun facts that will make this year’s campus buzz!

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Close up of a woman at a desk in a classroom, hands poised over a textbook on Christianity

LTSS alumni and church leaders can participate in this fall’s Explore courses, exploring holistic Christianity, monastic life and other topics that foster lifelong learning.

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