Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Lee University

Cleveland, Tennessee·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·leeuniversity.edu
6-yr Graduation
63%
+8.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
3,714
peer median 3,175
Avg net price
$20,399
+$159 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,388
2,388 candidates competed
Admitted
1,684
70.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
589
35.0% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
63%+8.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
51%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
63%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
54%
Non-Pell
63%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 94 Title IV programs, 25 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 69 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
94
Passing
25
26.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

94programs
  • Passing25 · 26.6%
  • No Data69 · 73.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
10
Safe
12
No data
69

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

25
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
$35,702 vs $34,808
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+3.3%
$50,249 vs $48,653
Special Education and Teaching
Bachelor Degree · Education
+6.3%
$36,999 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+11.1%
$66,769 vs $60,112
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+12.3%
$52,116 vs $46,391
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+14.9%
$39,988 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+16.8%
$54,167 vs $46,391
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+17.2%
$40,791 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
+$894
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+3.3%
+$1,596

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

22
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
77%
$27,625 debt · $35,702 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Bachelor Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
76%
$31,000 debt · $40,791 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Bachelor Degree · Education
74%
$27,500 debt · $36,999 earn
Education Other
Bachelor Degree · Education
73%
$30,750 debt · $42,329 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
69%
$36,000 debt · $52,116 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
65%
$35,069 debt · $54,167 earn
Public Relations Advertising and Applied Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
65%
$27,000 debt · $41,882 earn
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
62%
$27,000 debt · $43,241 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1960Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 9

  1. Oct 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. May 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jul 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Oct 2022Deny Substantive Change: Degree
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Sep 2022Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,887
$30–48k$13,815
$48–75k$16,890
$75–110k$23,697
$110k+$26,299

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$20,399
+$159vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $20,241
Federal loans
44.8%
In-state tuition
$22,690
Out-of-state
$22,690

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,143 students received $6.7M in Pell grants, alongside $16.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,143
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.7M
$6,687,700 total
Direct Loans
$16.5M
2,791 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$4.4M
1,081 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.9M
1,263 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.8M
212 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.2M
201 loan awards
Grad PLUS$272K
34 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,082 borrowers who entered repayment, 14 (1.2%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.2%
-1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,082
Defaulted
14
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.2%
2017
7.4%
2018
4.5%
2019
1.2%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Lee

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs115
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

808 total completions
01Theology
14317.7%
02Business
14017.3%
03Health Professions
13917.2%
04Education
12615.6%
05Visual/Performing Arts
577.1%
06Psychology
556.8%
07Liberal Arts
445.4%
08Communication
415.1%
09Family/Consumer Sci
374.6%
10Social Sciences
263.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,714
12-mo unduplicated
4,264
Undergraduate
3,762
Graduate
502

Gender split

Men
39%1,675
Women
61%2,589

Race / ethnicity composition

White
81.8%
Two or more
5.2%
Black
4.5%
Non-resident
2.6%
Unknown
2.6%
Hispanic
1.3%
Asian
1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
301
142 M · 159 W
Women athletes
52.8%
Athletic aid
$3.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$8.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.5M
$2.0M
Recruiting expense
$23K
$34K
Head-coach salaries
$67K
$53K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
88 M · 74 W
$1.4M
Soccer
30 M · 25 W
$1.2M
Baseball
40 M ·
$734K
Basketball
15 M · 16 W
$1.4M
Lacrosse
· 28 W
$417K
Softball
· 24 W
$457K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.76
3 offenses · 3,927 students

3-year trend

1.542 yrs ago2.221 yr ago0.76Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
21
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1
Fondling
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

3total
  • On campus3

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs01
Liquor04

Residence-hall fires

  • Simmons Hall1 fire
    OtherDamage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
141

Lee vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Lee selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectLee University
63%3,714$20,399Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Southern Adventist University
55%65.5%3,229$24,334Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Cumberland University
42%67.3%3,457$18,292Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Freed-Hardeman University
69%59.7%2,306$20,082Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Christian Brothers University
55%86.7%1,772$10,896Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Tuskegee University
55%48.7%3,121$32,977Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median55%65.5%3,175$20,241

Frequently asked questions about Lee University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Lee.

What is the graduation rate at Lee University?

Lee University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 63% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Lee University?

Lee University reports a total enrollment of 3,714 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Lee University?

The average net price at Lee University is $20,399 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Lee University?

Lee University's yield rate is 35.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Lee University located?

Lee University is located in Cleveland, Tennessee 37311.

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