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Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · founded 1889 · full profile

Elon University

Students who learn through relationships and experience — study abroad, internships, mentored research — and who will actively use that infrastructure rather than assume the degree does the work.

CompareOfficial site
Elon, North Carolina6,452 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 26Experiential learningUndergraduate teachingStudy abroad

The short answer

Elon is recognised nationally for experiential learning: it appears on more U.S. News lists for study abroad, internships, undergraduate research, learning communities and first-year experience than almost any other institution. Roughly 80% of students study abroad, and a 66.3% acceptance rate makes it accessible — but median earnings of $74,545 are modest against a $41,555 net price.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
66.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$41,555

33% below the $61,943 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$74,545

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
84.0%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1130–1280

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Elon ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#117of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#147of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#155of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#471of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1 College TheaterListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Elon's position moves 13 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Elon

Elon's institutional strategy is to be the best undergraduate teaching university in the country rather than a research power, and it has built real recognition for that. U.S. News lists it among the leaders for study abroad, internships, undergraduate research, service learning, learning communities, writing in the disciplines and first-year experience simultaneously — a breadth of experiential recognition that very few institutions match. About 80% of students study abroad, one of the highest rates nationally.

The School of Communications is the academic standout, with strong placement in media, public relations and strategic communications, and the campus is consistently described as one of the most beautiful in the country. Class sizes are small, a 11:1 ratio, and teaching is genuinely the promotion criterion for faculty, which changes the quality of contact students get.

The financial case requires honesty. Median earnings of $74,545 ten years after entry are middling, median federal debt is $20,500, and the average net price of $41,555 is high for that outcome. Elon's value is real but it is experiential and relational rather than financial: students who use the study abroad, undergraduate research and internship infrastructure hard get a great deal, and students who coast get an expensive one.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Nationally recognised across an unusual breadth of experiential learning categories.
  • Roughly 80% of students study abroad — among the highest participation rates in the U.S.
  • A 11:1 student-faculty ratio with faculty promoted primarily on teaching.
  • Strong School of Communications with solid media and PR placement.

Considerations

  • Median earnings of $74,545 are modest relative to a $41,555 average net price.
  • Median federal debt of $20,500 at graduation.
  • Limited graduate research infrastructure; not a fit for students aiming at research careers.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students who learn through relationships and experience — study abroad, internships, mentored research — and who will actively use that infrastructure rather than assume the degree does the work.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$46,958

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
9.9%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$14,985

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $61,943 a year, but the average family pays $41,555 — a 33% difference. 9.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Elon's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Strategic Communications
  2. 2Business Administration
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Exercise Science
  5. 5Marketing

Standout programs

  • School of Communications
  • Global Education (study abroad)
  • Elon Law
  • Undergraduate Research Program
  • Periclean Scholars
Student-faculty ratio
11:1

IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

First-year retention
89.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduate enrollment
6,452

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Elon: questions families ask

Roughly 80% of Elon students study abroad before graduating, one of the highest participation rates of any U.S. university. U.S. News frequently lists Elon among national leaders for study abroad, and our loaded Princeton Review edition highlights #1 College Theater rather than a study-abroad category badge. Elon builds short-term Winter Term courses abroad into the academic calendar, which removes the scheduling and cost barriers that keep participation low elsewhere.

It depends on what you want from it. Median earnings ten years after entry are $74,545 against an average net price of $41,555, which is a weaker financial return than many public alternatives. The value is in the teaching quality, mentorship and experiential programs — real, but only realised by students who use them deliberately.

Similar colleges

Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

Miami University

Oxford, OHPublic

Miami University is one of only eight 'Public Ivies' named in the original 1985 designation, and U.S. News has repeatedly cited it for an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. The Farmer School of Business is its standout, in-state tuition runs $18,161, and a 75.4% acceptance rate makes it broadly accessible.

Acceptance rate
75.4%
Average net price
$28,384
Median earnings (10 yr)
$55,076
6-yr graduation rate
79.8%
US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#239 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#168 of 442+2 more on profile

16,656 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 44 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZPublic

Arizona is a major research university with world-leading astronomy and optical sciences programs — it operates the Mirror Lab that builds the world's largest telescope mirrors — and admits 87% of applicants with generous automatic merit aid for non-residents. The caution is completion: a 68% six-year graduation rate is low for a flagship.

Acceptance rate
86.1%
Average net price
$16,674
Median earnings (10 yr)
$59,979
6-yr graduation rate
67.5%
US News · National universities#127 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#124 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#96 of 442+2 more on profile

42,537 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 20 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PAPrivate nonprofit

Drexel runs one of the two largest co-op programs in the country, with a five-year option that includes three six-month paid placements. At a 79.4% acceptance rate it is broadly accessible, but a 78.2% six-year graduation rate and $25,325 median federal debt make it a school where the specific offer matters more than the brand.

Acceptance rate
79.4%
Average net price
$38,509
Median earnings (10 yr)
$84,648
6-yr graduation rate
78.2%
US News · National universities#80 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#185 of 500Washington Monthly · National universities#118 of 442+2 more on profile

13,233 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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