Elon is the top-ranked master’s university in the South and the #1 university for teaching and innovation.
For the sixth year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon University the #1 Southern master’s-level university, with #1 rankings for excellence in undergraduate teaching and innovation. The annual best-selling college guide, “America’s Best Colleges,” was released Sept. 10.
With the #1 ranking among 148 Southern master’s universities, Elon joins top schools in three other regions – Fairfield University of Connecticut in the North, Butler University of Indiana in the Midwest, and Santa Clara University of California in the West.
Elon earns its #1 ranking with a category-leading 84 percent four-year graduation rate and a 90 percent first-year student retention rate. Elon’s top ranking is also based on its 12-to-1 student faculty ratio, outstanding student academic qualifications and strong alumni giving rate. Elon also has the highest peer reputation score in its category, which is based on a survey of presidents and top administrators at other universities in the southern region.
In addition, Elon leads the nation in the “Programs to Look For” that lead to student success. For the fourth straight year, Elon is recognized in all eight program categories:
- Study Abroad
- Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
- Internships/Co-ops
- Learning Communities
- Service Learning
- Writing in the Disciplines
- First-Year Experiences
- Senior Capstone
Other colleges and universities recognized in multiple categories include Agnes Scott in eight programs; Duke and Stanford in seven programs; Yale, Princeton, Brown, Davidson, Butler and Belmont in six programs; Harvard, MIT, Carleton, Rice, Cornell, Dartmouth, Bates, Bowdoin, Abilene Christian, Boston College and Northeastern in five programs; and UNC-Chapel Hill, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin and others in four programs.
> READ MORE about Elon’s national ranking in student success.
Elon earns a #1 ranking for undergraduate teaching based on the survey of higher education leaders who were asked to identify schools where the faculty has an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Those same academic leaders identify Elon as the #1 innovative school for its improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.
Elon also ranks as a top-30 “Best Value” university in the South, based on academic quality and the net cost of attendance for students who receive need-based financial aid.
Elon is included in the U.S. News ranking of the nation’s best undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The results are based on a survey of business school deans and senior faculty members. Undergraduate business schools at Elon, UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest and North Carolina State University are the only four North Carolina programs ranked among the top 130 schools in the nation.
U.S. News & World Report has been producing college rankings since 1983. The rankings are based on an extensive annual data survey of institutions along with opinion surveys of university faculty and administrators.