McKendree College Admission
McKendree College Undergraduate Program
McKendree College Application

The Facts

McKendree College is a small, private institution located in the town of Lebanon, Illinois, and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The school is actually the oldest college in the state. havigng been founded in 1828. McKendree is home to over 1,600 undergraduate students and approximately 500 part-time professional students who are able to take courses in the college’s liberal arts and sciences program. The school also offers a few preprofessional majors that allow students to participate in internship and research opportunities. The academics divisions offer broad majors in the areas of biological science, business (which includes a wonderful banking and finance program), communications and the arts (home to a unique program in music history and appreciation), computer and physical science, education (which offers students an innovative major in athletic training), health professions, and social sciences. Some of the most popular majors at McKendree are within the areas of business, mathematics, computer science, and education.

Admission to McKendree College is somewhat competitive, and the number of highly qualified students who apply increases with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 1,200 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 870 of those students were accepted; of those, about 300 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1150 to 1200, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 25 to 32. Additionally, more than 88% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.85.

McKendree College has a high student to faculty ratio of 22:1; however, it is rare to find a class at any level with more than 18 students, and many professors do double or even triple duty in order to keep the class sizes intimate. In general, students rave about their professors, saying they know how to make class engaging and practical, and make themselves available for assistance as often as they can.

The Social Scene

The town of Lebanon, Illinois is quite suburban, and doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment; however, the popular city of St. Louis is only about 23 miles away, and many students own cars, making weekend excursions to the city quite possible. In fact, most students desert campus on the weekends to take advantage of the city’s many social and cultural offerings. McKendree College is home to six national and local fraternities and sororities; however, they are not terribly popular with students. They do throw many parties throughout the year that are well attended, but not very many students actually end up joining a house.

The dating scene is mediocre at best, but we’ve heard that there are plenty of great catches with that signature Midwestern charm...

What’s Good

“I love the proximity we have to St. Louis, which is an incredible city to be near.”

“The people here are really laid back, and don’t compete and stress out when it’s not necessary.”

“There’s a good balance of work and play here. People aren’t overly obsessed with one or another.”

What’s Bad

“The surrounding area is really really boring, and if you don’t have a car, there really isn’t any way to get to St. Louis, besides hitching a ride.”

“I wish the party scene were more active. I never hear about parties until after they’ve already happened.”

“The student body is really homogenous here. A little diversity would be nice.”

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