Two students walking and talking outside of Alamance building.Elon University has built a national reputation as the premier student-centered environment for experiential learning, with an emphasis on strong personal relationships between students and their faculty and staff mentors. Elon students are ambitious, curious and compassionate, inspired to be big thinkers and creative problem-solvers.

Elon has built a national reputation for excellence based on five key factors:

  1. Student-centered: Elon is a close community—students develop strong, mentoring relationships with faculty and staff, with their peers and with alumni.
  2. Globally engaged: You’ll find Elon students engaged in learning in every corner of the world through the university’s top-ranked study abroad program.
  3. Experiential: We learn best through experience, so an Elon education is filled with hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom, in the lab and on the job.
  4. Environment for learning: With one of the nation’s finest residential campuses, Elon provides facilities and learning resources that breed powerful collaboration and spark bold ideas.
  5. Ambitious: Members of our community are restless in all the right ways, unafraid to set high expectations, rising to every challenge and constantly striving to build a better world.

Elon’s rigorous curriculum is grounded in the arts and sciences and complemented by nationally accredited professional and graduate programs. The 480 full-time faculty members teach in more than 70 undergraduate majors, along with master’s programs in business administration, management, accounting, education, higher education, interactive media and physician assistant studies; and doctoral programs in physical therapy and law.

The university includes Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business; the School of Communications; the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education; the School of Health Sciences; and the School of Law, which is located on a campus in downtown Greensboro, N.C.

Elon’s 6,337 undergraduate and 786 graduate students come from 49 states and 50 other countries. About 28 percent are from North Carolina, with strong enrollment numbers from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and other states across the country.

Global engagement is central to Elon’s student experience and consistently ranked among the top programs in the nation. Forty-four percent* of students 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 in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Alaska and other locations.

Elon earns top rankings for community service by the federal government’s Corporation for National and Community Service, with 81 percent of students participating in service-learning. In addition, 87 percent of students complete internships, 59 percent of students hold at least one campus leadership position, and 23 percent of students work with faculty mentors on undergraduate research projects.

Elon’s engaging intellectual climate is distinguished by supportive and collaborative human relationships that promote personal growth. More than 200 student organizations flourish, providing a rich array of opportunities to get involved. Student Professional Development Center counselors work with students 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.

Elon is ranked among the top 100 National Universities by U.S. News & World Report, with a #1 ranking for excellence in undergraduate teaching and #6 for innovation. In addition, Elon is the leader in the “Programs to Look For” feature – the only college or university ranked in the top 20 in all eight categories of academic programs linked to student success and positive learning outcomes. Included are a #1 ranking for learning communities and a #2 ranking for first-year experiences.

Princeton Review ranks Elon among the nation’s “best-run colleges.” The university is also recognized for excellence in academic and student life programs with a #6 ranking for “Best College Theater,” #8 “Most Beautiful Campus,” #9 “Best Career Services” and #13 “Best College Dorms.” The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranks Elon the #14 private university in the nation for student engagement. Poets & Quants ranks Elon among the nation’s top undergraduate business, marketing and MBA programs. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine names Elon one of the nation’s top 30 “best value” private universities.

Elon is a member of the Colonial Athletics Association, and the Phoenix athletics program includes 17 intercollegiate men’s and women’s sports in NCAA Division I (FCS football). In addition, Elon offers 18 intramural and 21 club sports.

Elon’s historic 690-acre campus in central North Carolina is designated as a botanical garden and includes the 56-acre Elon University Forest, a land preserve and natural area for scientific research; and Loy Farm, a center for environmental research and sustainability that includes a solar farm.

Elon is an academic community that provides the right balance of challenge and encouragement, helping students discover the ambition to seek something great and the courage to achieve it. Elon is a university with a powerful trajectory—ever on the rise and always striving to achieve higher levels of excellence.

*Travel limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted participation during the 2021-22 academic year.