Elon University has moved to the National Universities category in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” guide, ranking #1 in the nation for Study Abroad and #2 for Undergraduate Teaching.
For the first time, Elon University is ranked as a National University in the annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” guide. Elon debuts at #84 among the nation’s most prestigious comprehensive universities, with a #2 ranking for excellence in undergraduate teaching.
For the fifth straight year, Elon is the leader in the “Focus on Student Success” feature – the only college or university in the nation recognized for excellence in all eight categories of high-impact academic programs.
“In this inaugural move from #1 Regional University in the South to the National Universities category, Elon has assumed a new level of leadership,” said Connie Ledoux Book, Elon University president. “We are especially proud that U.S. News & World Report and higher education leaders across the country have recognized Elon for quality teaching and mentorship and highlighted the excellence of Elon’s academic programs that prepare students to thrive and succeed.”
Schools in the National Universities category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master’s and doctoral programs. Elon moved to the category this year 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, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern, Duke and Johns Hopkins.
As the #2 ranked university for undergraduate teaching, Elon trails only Princeton University and joins a group of outstanding universities committed to teaching excellence.
Top-10 National Universities recognized for excellence in undergraduate teaching:
#1 Princeton University
#2 Elon University
#3 Brown University
#3 Georgia State University
#5 College of William & Mary
#5 Dartmouth College
#7 Boston College
#8 Miami University-Oxford (Ohio)
#8 Rice University
#10 Arizona State University-Tempe
In the “Focus on Student Success” feature, Elon led all other institutions based on a survey of top college and university leaders across the nation. Elon is ranked in the top 10 in all eight academic programs proven to impact student success:
#1 Study Abroad
#1 Learning Communities
#2 First-Year Experiences
#2 Service Learning
#4 Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
#4 Internships/Co-ops
#5 Senior Capstone
#10 Writing in the Disciplines
Other colleges and universities recognized in multiple categories include Duke in seven programs; Stanford and Agnes Scott in six programs; and Amherst, Brown, Princeton, Yale and Carleton in five programs.
Elon is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #11 Most Innovative National University. These are universities that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.
Top-15 “Most Innovative” National Universities:
#1 Arizona State University-Tempe
#2 Georgia State University
#3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
#4 Georgia Institute of Technology
#5 Stanford University
#6 Purdue University-West Lafayette
#7 Carnegie Mellon University
#8 California Institute of Technology
#9 Northeastern University
#9 University of Maryland-Baltimore County
#11 Elon University
#12 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
#12 University of Texas-Austin
#14 University of California-Berkeley
#15 Brown University
The “Most Innovative” rankings for North Carolina schools included Duke University (#26), North Carolina State University (#31) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (#63).
In the overall National Universities category, Elon is ranked #84 and #51 among private universities based on strong scores in several areas of the “Best Colleges” methodology. Elon ranks #26 in alumni annual financial support, #64 in faculty resources, #69 in graduation and student retention rates, and is one of only 12 schools with zero percent of classes larger than 50 students.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon #3 among National Universities in the “A+ Schools for B Students” feature, a measure of good schools that admit a proportion of non-A students and retain those students beyond their first year. Elon is also listed among the top 183 “Best-Value” National Universities, based on average cost and financial aid.
North Carolina colleges and universities included in the overall National Universities rankings include:
#10 Duke University
#27 Wake Forest University
#29 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
#84 Elon University
#84 North Carolina State University
#185 University of North Carolina at Wilmington
#228 East Carolina University
#228 University of North Carolina at Charlotte
#272 Campbell University
#272 University of North Carolina at Greensboro
#281 Gardner-Webb University
#281 North Carolina A&T State University
#293-381 Wingate University
U.S. News & World Report has been producing college rankings since 1983. The rankings are based on an extensive annual data survey of institutions along with opinion surveys of university faculty and administrators.