Student Features: Outcomes of a Student-Centered Learning Environment

Elon graduates share their stories of discovering a true passion and experiencing an unexpected transformation that prepared them for the next steps in their respective paths. Elon students are all-in and fully involved and it shows. This is a university of boundless opportunity, where students have a fervor to fulfill their roles as global citizens – putting their knowledge into action on campus, in the community and around the world.

What others are saying

#1 The National Leader in Student Success

Elon is a national leader in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report ranking of academic programs that "Focus on Student Success," earning recognition for excellence in all eight categories of high-impact experiences. Elon is recognized for excellence in study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, learning communities, service learning, writing in the disciplines, first-year experiences and senior capstone.

#2 Undergraduate Teaching

U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon the #2 National University for teaching excellence and #10 for innovation.

#1 Best-Run College

Princeton Review ranks Elon the nation’s #1 “Best-Run” college, with the #1 “Most Popular Study Abroad” program, the #4 “Most Beautiful Campus” and the #4 “Best Career Services” program.

Impacting our world

Elon is a top-producing university for Fulbright Student Scholars and Peace Corps volunteers.

Top-26 Private Universities

Elon is ranked one of the nation’s top 26 private universities based on academic excellence and affordability. - Fiske Guide to Colleges “Best Buy” School

1 of 7

Elon is 1 of only 7 private universities in the U.S. with nationally accredited schools of business, communications, education, law and health sciences plus a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.

A vibrant intellectual community with a global perspective

Distinguished faculty choose to teach at Elon because they love to mentor students. With small classes and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, they are able to challenge individual students to reach their highest potential. Elon faculty are active and productive scholars with rich academic and professional experience. Through Elon's Center for Engaged Learning, faculty members are leading an international conversation about the most effective teaching and learning strategies.

Elon's four-year core curriculum has a strong global focus and is organized around the themes of inquiry, knowledge and communication. Students learn to see the world through many different perspectives and understand the complex relationships among the world's people, cultures, beliefs and environments.

Elon sends more undergraduate students to study abroad than any other master’s-level university in the nation. Eighty percent percent of Elon graduates have at least one international study experience, often combined with internships, research or service. In addition, Elon's Study USA program includes opportunities to study and intern across the nation.

One of the nation's finest residential campuses

Elon's 656-acre campus is consistently ranked as one of the nation's most beautiful collegiate environments and is maintained as a botanical garden. Elon is completing a $100 million transformation of its residential campus, integrating academics, living-learning communities and co-curricular activities to create an immersive 24/7 learning environment.

Students live in eight campus neighborhoods designed for the various stages of a college career. More than 20 learning communities connect students with shared interests as they live together, push intellectual boundaries and forge lifelong friendships. Centered around themes, such as innovation, civic engagement or world languages and cultures, thriving residential communities motivate students to build relationships and deepen their experience.

The critical value equation: A four-year plan for success

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine consistently ranks Elon among the top 30 “Best Value” private universities, with a total cost that is $10,000-$20,000 lower than the other prestigious schools in the ranking. Elon maintains its affordable cost through a careful strategy of efficient operation, slow enrollment growth, successful fundraising and excellent strategic planning.

Elon's four-year graduation rate is 79 percent. Student Professional Development Center counselors work with students from their first year to create personal development plans, resumes and strong networking skills. The robust Elon Network of employers, alumni and parents provides connections to internships and career opportunities. Nine months after graduation, 95 percent of the Class of 2019 was employed, enrolled in graduate school or working for a service organization.