Hickory – Lenoir-Rhyne University has announced the launch of the Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee, a bold college affordability initiative covering 100 percent of undergraduate tuition for qualifying students from North Carolina and South Carolina.
Beginning in fall 2026, first-year and transfer students from the Carolinas with a family adjusted gross income (AGI) of $100,000 or less will have tuition fully covered for four years. The award is funded entirely through scholarships and grants.
In addition, Lenoir-Rhyne University announced new merit scholarships for all students including a new $30,000 Presidential Scholarship as the top merit award. These new scholarships also reaffirm Lenoir-Rhyne’s commitment to college affordability.
“The Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee reflects our commitment to expand college access, to reduce barriers and to invest in the next generation of leaders who will serve our communities across the Carolinas,” said Dr. Summer McGee, president of Lenoir-Rhyne University. “Outstanding private education is now affordable for all North and South Carolina families. The Lenoir-Rhyne Guarantee is a game-changer.”
Quick Facts
Covers 100 percent of full-time undergraduate tuition for up to four years (eight semesters)
Available to North and South Carolina families with an AGI of $100,000 or less
Applies to new first-year and transfer students beginning fall 2026
Tuition funded entirely by scholarships and grants — no loans required
For more information about the Lenoir-Rhyne Guarantee, visit www.lr.edu/guarantee.
About the Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee
The Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee, launching in fall 2026, provides 100 percent tuition coverage for qualifying new first-year and transfer students from North and South Carolina with family adjusted gross income (AGI) of $100,000 or less, as reported on the FAFSA. Funded entirely through scholarships and grants, the Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee makes an LR education more affordable and accessible by removing the burden of tuition debt for students and families across the region. Learn more at www.lr.edu/guarantee.
About Lenoir-Rhyne University
Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private, co-educational, comprehensive university founded in 1891, with its main campus located in Hickory, North Carolina, a city of more than 40,000. The university has additional graduate centers in Asheville, N.C., and Columbia, S.C. Situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lenoir-Rhyne is less than an hour from Charlotte, and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of about 365,000. The university offers more than 45 undergraduate and 20 graduate degree programs to approximately 2,400 students. Lenoir-Rhyne University seeks to liberate mind and spirit, clarify personal faith, foster physical wholeness, build community, and promote responsible leadership for service to the world. Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lenoir-Rhyne is open to people from all religious and non-religious backgrounds. Learn more at www.lr.edu.
