A fifth are graduates of private or parochial schools. Students attracted to Lenoir-Rhyne tend to be conservative, although a wide range of political and social views as well as tolerance for them is present. Many undergraduates also come seeking a sense of community. Competition, though, is usually an internal struggle rather than a contest among groups of students. Lenoir-Rhyne, which was named for 2 early donors and celebrated its centennial year in 1991, awards the bachelor's degree in 44 undergraduate majors, plus a master's in education.
Classes follow the semester schedule.
The largest core course, Religion 100, enrolls just 40 students. Most freshman classes tend to have between 20 and 30 people, with upper-level courses rarely exceeding 20. The core curriculum covers 56 of the 128 credit hours needed to graduate. Students take several courses related to skill-building in such areas as computer applications, critical thinking and writing, fine arts appreciation, and foreign language. Other courses cover the traditional academic fields with a mixture of specific classes in such subjects as religion, environmental science, and world civilization, and students choose courses from a suggested list in mathematics, philosophy, and social science.