Locations

Founded in 1891, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a co-educational, private liberal arts institution with 45+ undergraduate degree programs and 20+ graduate degree programs.

LR enrolls more than 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students. LR’s main campus is in Hickory, North Carolina, where both undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered.

The university also offers graduate degree programs online and at locations in Asheville, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina.

LR is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and welcomes students from all religious backgrounds.

One University, Multiple Locations

Discover our campuses, visit or connect with us and see for yourself all that LR has to offer.

Two students take a selfie at end of commencement ceremony

2,300⁺

Student enrollment across locations

Professor delivers lecture in front of class

$30M

Financial aid awarded to students annually

Three students in classroom listening to professor lecture

Two counseling students working on assignment in class

Students works with table-based tablet in classroom

News & Events

Agnes Park Hacawa page and graduation photo

The First Arrival

After immigrating from Korea to Hawaii, Agnes Park crossed a continent to attend Lenoir-Rhyne. She graduated in 1924, and in 2025, her granddaughter traced the journey of one of the first international Bears.

Red and black streamers fly over smiling graduates on stadium field

Class of 2026 shines ever brighter at LR commencement

Across ceremonies held in Hickory, Asheville and Columbia on May 7-9, LR celebrated 578 undergraduate and graduate students earning their degrees and stepping into their next chapters as alumni.

September 10 7:00 PM / P.E. Monroe Auditorium

Visiting Writers Series: Andrew McCarthy

October 08 7:00 PM / P.E. Monroe Auditorium

Visiting Writers Series: Patrick Ryan