Elon University earns highest ranking ever by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon University #5 among 130 southern master’s-level universities in its 2006 “America’s Best Colleges” guide. This is Elon’s highest ranking ever in the nation’s most widely read survey of quality in higher education. Last year, Elon ranked #6 in the southern universities category.

In addition, Elon’s academic programs were mentioned more often than any other school in the nation in the U.S. News survey of the nation’s top college administrators. College presidents, chief academic officers and chief admissions officers cited Elon for excellence in the following programs: first-year experiences, study abroad, internships, undergraduate research, learning communities, service learning and senior capstone experiences.

As the top North Carolina school in the regional rankings, Elon earns outstanding scores for academic reputation, student retention and graduation rates. These are the top 10 master’s-level southern universities:

1. Rollins College (Fla.)

2. James Madison University (Va.)

3. Samford University (Ala.)

4. Stetson University (Fla.)

5. Elon University

6. Loyola University New Orleans (La.)

7. The Citadel (S.C.)

8. University of Mary Washington (Va.)

9. Mercer University (Ga.)

10. (tie) Centenary College of Louisiana

College of Charleston (S.C.)

Elon has the fourth-highest academic reputation among southern master’s-level universities and the third-highest rates for freshman retention and graduation.

U.S. News & World Report’s survey of top college administrators is called “Programs to Look For.” Respondents are asked to nominate stellar examples in eight categories. The schools mentioned most frequently are cited by the magazine for excellence, and Elon received recognition in seven of the eight categories. No other school made as many lists. Below is the full U.S. News & World Report “Programs to Look For” lists that include Elon:

U.S.News & World Report 2006: “PROGRAMS TO LOOK FOR”

INTERNSHIPS/CO-OPS

Alverno College (WI)

Antioch College (OH)

Berea College (KY)

Cal Poly–San Luis Obispo

Drexel University (PA)

Elon University (NC)

Georgia Institute of Technology

Kettering University (MI)

Northeastern University (MA)

Portland State University (OR)

Rochester Inst. of Technology (NY)

University of Cincinnati

SENIOR CAPSTONE

Allegheny College (PA)

Alverno College (WI)

Carleton College (MN)

College of Wooster (OH)

Duke University (NC)

Elon University (NC)

Harvard University (MA)

Massachusetts Inst. of Technology

Portland State University (OR)

Princeton University (NJ)

Reed College (OR)

Southern Illinois U.–Edwardsville

Swarthmore College (PA)

Truman State University (MO)

University of Chicago

STUDY ABROAD

Arcadia University (PA)

Beloit College (WI)

Butler University (IN)

Carleton College (MN)

Central College (IA)

Dartmouth College (NH)

Dickinson College (PA)

Duke University (NC)

Earlham College (IN)

Elon University (NC)

Georgetown University (DC)

Goshen College (IN)

Kalamazoo College (MI)

Macalester College (MN)

Michigan State University

Middlebury College (VT)

New York University

Stanford University (CA)

St. Olaf College (MN)

Syracuse University (NY)

Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities

University of Notre Dame (IN)

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH/CREATIVE PROJECTS

Amherst College (MA)

Brown University (RI)

California Institute of Technology

Calvin College (MI)

Carleton College (MN)

Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

College of Wooster (OH)

Davidson College (NC)

Duke University (NC)

Elon University (NC)

Furman University (SC)

Grinnell College (IA)

Harvard University (MA)

Harvey Mudd College (CA)

Hope College (MI)

Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Massachusetts Inst. of Technology

Oberlin College (OH)

Princeton University (NJ)

Reed College (OR)

Stanford University (CA)

SUNY–Stony Brook

Swarthmore College (PA)

Truman State University (MO)

University of California–Berkeley

University of California–Irvine

Univ. of California–Los Angeles

University of Delaware

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

U. of North Carolina–Asheville

U. of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

University of Washington

Univ. of Wisconsin–Eau Claire

Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison

Williams College (MA)

Yale University (CT)

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Alverno College (WI)

Appalachian State University (NC)

Bowling Green State University (OH)

Elon University (NC)

Evergreen State College (WA)

Georgia State University

Indiana University–Bloomington

Indiana U.-Purdue U.–Indianapolis

Iowa State University

Kennesaw State University (GA)

Miami University–Oxford (OH)

Michigan State University

Portland State University (OR)

Santa Clara University (CA)

St. John’s College (MD)

St. John’s College (NM)

Syracuse University (NY)

Temple University (PA)

Univ. of Maryland–College Park

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Univ. of Missouri–Columbia

University of Texas–Austin

University of Washington

Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison

Wagner College (NY)

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCES

Alverno College (WI)

Amherst College (MA)

Appalachian State University (NC)

Arizona State University

Augsburg College (MN)

Ball State University (IN)

Beloit College (WI)

Bowling Green State University (OH)

Brevard College (NC)

California State U.–Long Beach

College of the Holy Cross (MA)

Drury University (MO)

Duke University (NC)

Eckerd College (FL)

Elon University (NC)

Evergreen State College (WA)

Grinnell College (IA)

Indiana University–Bloomington

Indiana U.-Purdue U.–Indianapolis

James Madison University (VA)

Kalamazoo College (MI)

Kennesaw State University (GA)

Lawrence University (WI)

North Carolina State U.–Raleigh

Ohio State University–Columbus

Portland State University (OR)

Princeton University (NJ)

Stanford University (CA)

Texas A&M Univ.–College Station

United States Military Academy (NY)

Univ. of Maryland–College Park

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Univ. of Minnesota–Twin Cities

U. of North Carolina–Asheville

U. of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

University of Notre Dame (IN)

University of Puget Sound (WA)

Univ. of South Carolina–Columbia

University of Washington

Valparaiso University (IN)

Wagner College (NY)

Willamette University (OR)

William Jewell College (MO)

SERVICE LEARNING

Alverno College (WI)

Berea College (KY)

Brown University (RI)

California State University–Monterey Bay

Calvin College (MI)

DePaul University (IL)

Earlham College (IN)

Elon University (NC)

Indiana U.-Purdue U.–Indianapolis

Marquette University (WI)

Portland State University (OR)

Stanford University (CA)

Trinity College (CT)

University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

University of Notre Dame (IN)

University of Pennsylvania

University of Utah

Vanderbilt University (TN)

Warren Wilson College (NC)