Elon earns top marks for undergraduate teaching and innovation in the magazine's annual "Best Colleges" rankings.
Elon University earned a #1 ranking for undergraduate teaching and another for innovation in the 2016 edition of “Best Colleges,” published by U.S. News & World Report.
Elon is also the only university in the nation listed on all eight U.S. News lists of high-impact “Academic Programs to Look For.” The lists are compiled from a national survey of higher education administrators who were asked to nominate best schools in the eight categories. Elon earns recognition for:
- First-Year Experiences
- Internships/Co-ops
- Senior Capstone
- Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
- Learning Communities
- Study Abroad
- Service Learning
- Writing in the Disciplines
With recognition in the eight categories, Elon leads Stanford University and the University of Michigan, which are each listed in six categories; and Duke University and Butler University, which are each listed in five categories. > Read more about this ranking…
U.S. News & World Report highlighted Elon’s learning communities in a separate story titled “Discover 3 College Programs That Help Students Thrive.” The story detailed ways that Elon’s residential programs for freshmen create a strong intellectual climate on campus.
For the third year in a row, Elon is ranked #1 among Southern master’s-level universities, with the top academic reputation score among 127 schools in the category. Elon ties with Rollins College of Florida at #1 in the South and shares the top regional university rankings with Villanova University (Pennsylvania), which ranks #1 in the North; Creighton University (Nebraska), which ranks #1 in the Midwest; and Trinity University (Texas), which ranks #1 in the West.
This is the first year U.S. News has selected the most innovative schools, a ranking based on a survey of top college officials nationwide who were asked about schools excelling in technology, facilities, academics and curriculum. The magazine says it added this ranking to identify “schools the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes being made on their campuses.” Elon earned its #1 ranking in the Southern universities category. Among the other top schools recognized for innovation are Arizona State University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bard College and Colorado College.
Elon has been ranked #1 for excellence in undergraduate teaching among Southern universities since U.S. News began that ranking in its 2010 guide. Among the other top universities recognized for undergraduate teaching are Princeton University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Carleton College, Davidson College and Swarthmore College.
Elon is also included in the U.S. News ranking of the best undergraduate business programs and earns a #1 ranking in the South among “Best Colleges for Veterans.”
The “Best Colleges” rankings, released by U.S. News & World Report on Sept. 9, provide the most thorough examination of how more than 1,500 four-year schools compare on a set of 16 indicators of excellence. Among the quality factors measured in the rankings are peer assessment, graduation and student retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. U.S. News uses the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to produce categories of rankings for colleges and universities.