Elon is ranked among the top universities in the nation, with a #1 ranking for undergraduate teaching and a #13 ranking for “most innovative” university. The 2024 rankings are included in the annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” guide.

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges badge image for Undergraduate Teaching 2024.

Elon is ranked #1 in the nation for excellence in teaching.

As the #1 ranked national university for undergraduate teaching, Elon leads a group of outstanding universities committed to teaching excellence, including Georgia State University, Brown University, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Rice University, The College of William & Mary, Boston College, Duke University and Howard University.

Schools in the National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs. Elon moved to the category in 2019 after it was classified as a Doctoral/Professional University by the Carnegie Classification of Colleges. The top schools in the National Universities category this year are (in rank order) Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, California Institute of Technology, Duke University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University.

Elon is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #13 most innovative national university. Schools in the top 12 include (in rank order) Arizona State University, Georgia State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Purdue University, Northeastern University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, University of Michigan and California Institute of Technology. North Carolina A&T University is #25 and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is #38.

Headshot of Elon University President Connie Book.

This year’s #1 national ranking for teaching excellence is a testament to the strong relationships faculty mentors build with their students inside and outside the classroom. Teaching and mentorship are central to an Elon education, and with the support of staff across the university, Elon’s highly skilled faculty are impacting the lives of their students on a daily and lifelong basis.

Connie Ledoux Book, Elon University president

For the ninth straight year, Elon is the leader in the “Programs to Look For” feature – the only college or university ranked in all eight categories of academic programs linked to student success and positive learning outcomes.

  • #1 Learning Communities
  • #1 First-Year Experiences
  • #3 Service Learning
  • #4 Study Abroad
  • #8 Internships/Co-ops
  • #9 Senior Capstone
  • #11 Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
  • #12 Writing in the Disciplines

With Elon ranked in the top 20 in eight categories, other highly ranked institutions include Duke University, ranked in the top 20 in seven categories, Agnes Scott in the top 20 in six categories, and Brown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan and Yale University were each ranked in five categories.

Top 10 National Universities Recognized for Undergraduate Teaching:

  • #1 Elon University
  • #2 Georgia State University
  • #3 Brown University
  • #4 Princeton University
  • #5 Dartmouth College
  • #6 Rice University
  • #6 William & Mary
  • #8 Boston College
  • #9 Duke University
  • #10 Howard University

“Most Innovative” National Universities:

  • #1 Arizona State University
  • #2 Georgia State University
  • #3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • #4 Carnegie Mellon University
  • #5 Georgia Institute of Technology
  • #6 Stanford University
  • #7 Purdue University
  • #8 Northeastern University
  • #9 Johns Hopkins University
  • #10 Duke University
  • #11 University of Michigan
  • #12 California Institute of Technology
  • #13 Elon University