The Area: Located less than one hour from both Raleigh-Durham and Chapel Hill, the small town of Elon is in a picturesque part of North Carolina. Students can hike mountains in an hour or be at the beach in roughly three.

The Town: Elon is a small town of approximately 11,000 residents, with a quaint historic strip of shops and eateries that virtually blend into the campus. Students can walk to several local restaurants and a few chains, with larger retailers like Target, Publix, and Walgreens less than a 10-minute drive away. Students engage with the town mainly through service events but will need to travel further afield for internships and career opportunities.

The Campus/Students: Georgian red brick with white trim is the architectural standard on Elon's gorgeous, traditional-feeling campus. Even newer buildings (some of the oldest spots on campus date back to 1889) evoke the same feeling, and students can walk from one end of campus to the other in about 15 minutes. With wooded areas, green quads, brick-paved pathways, and three lakes, it's easy to see why the campus has been described as "visually stunning." Investment in the campus infrastructure is evident in new dorms and two recently unveiled additions to the Innovation Quad on campus. State-of-the art labs (from a VR lab to an Engineering prototype lab) are available to students in Elon's newly-ABET-accredited Engineering program (as well as Physics, CS, and more).

Elon's 6,100 student body is engaged, taking advantage of the school's deep commitment to experiential learning. More collaborative than competitive, Elon students are involved in more than 300 clubs on campus. Greek life has a strong presence (20% of men; 39% of women), but there are hosted events every weekend outside of athletics and Greek-sanctioned events. Some favorites include the weekly College Coffee, where students and faculty gather for breakfast, and an annual holiday party at the president's house.

Elon Phoenix athletes compete in 17 DI (Colonial Athletic Association) sports, and more than 20 club sports keep students active as well. Study abroad is popular, with 73% of students participating; 84% graduate with at least one internship on their resume.

Students hail mainly from out of state (just under 20% are NC residents), with a sizable number coming from the Northeast, particularly NJ, MA, NY, and CT. Currently 80% White, the school is actively trying to increase diversity of all kinds.

Students tend to live on campus beyond the required two years, and housing options range from traditional residence halls to apartments and living/learning communities, such as Creative Arts, Gender and Sexuality, and Innovation. Students praise both the housing and dining options on campus.

Academics: Elon's core curriculum covers a broad range of liberal arts and science topics and includes a required interdisciplinary capstone seminar. All classes are taught with a mixture of lecture, discussion, and hands-on activities and are capped at 33 (with 20 the average class size). Student and faculty interaction is strong, and 24% of students engage in research with a professor. All students must meet an Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) by participating in two of the 5 Elon Experiences: undergraduate research, internships, service learning, study abroad, and leadership.

Strong/Notable Programs:

• Business: Finance, Marketing, and Accounting are particularly strong, with some accelerated 3+1 degree options.
• Nursing: A new fairly new direct-admit nursing program boasts a 100% NCLEX pass rate. Though the nursing accreditation is in process, all grads are board-approved and can start working immediately.
• The Cinema and Television Arts Program in the School of Communication is nationally recognized (and the TV studios are phenomenal; former TV anchor and Elon parent Brian Williams largely funded the one bearing his name).
• Engineering is ABET accredited, but Elon maintains several dual degree options with colleges, including Georgia Tech, Wash U, Clemson, and Notre Dame (among others).
• Pre-health advisors, a Pre-Health Society, and a Health Professions Scholars program support students interested in medical pathways. Elon offers accelerated pathways to MA in Physician Assistant Studies and Doctor of Physical Therapy.

Cost: 2024-25 The Total Cost of Attendance is $63,242, and 49% of students receive merit (the largest award of $7,500 is automatically awarded to the top 25% of applicants). Early Decision applicants get several perks beyond a higher acceptance rate, including earlier financial aid notification, early class registration the first year, a $3,000 Experiences grant, and an early move-in experience.

Students seeking a medium-sized liberal arts college with a number of pre-professional options and a supportive, engaged community may find their home on Elon’s beautiful campus. Visit Elon's website to learn more and see if it's a good fit for you.