U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News again names Elon the best in the nation for teaching undergraduates
Elon continues to be a leader in the “Programs that Enhance Student Experience” category as one of only two colleges and universities in the country ranked in the top 15 in all eight categories of programs linked to student success and positive learning outcomes.
Elon is ranked #1 in the nation for excellence in teaching.
Elon University has been ranked #1 in the nation for excellence in undergraduate teaching for a fourth straight year by peer universities, according to the 2025 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News & World Report asks higher education leaders each year about institutions that perform at the highest levels. Since joining the National Universities category in 2019, Elon has ranked #1 or #2 among the list of institutions that offer the highest quality of undergraduate instruction.
Elon was again recognized as one of the country’s most innovative schools, earning a #15 ranking in the category. The Most Innovative national universities list includes those making innovative improvements in curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.
Undergraduate teaching is at the core of Elon’s mission to nurture a rich intellectual community characterized by active student engagement with a faculty dedicated to excellent teaching and scholarly accomplishment. This ranking reflects the outstanding work of our remarkable faculty, the staff who support their teaching, and the strategic vision of the Board over the last 30 years to foster experiential and engaged learning.
Elon was named a national leader in the annual U.S. News “Best Colleges” guide’s “Programs that Enhance Student Experience” category for a 10th consecutive year. This feature looks at eight categories of programs linked to student success and positive learning outcomes.
- #1 Learning Communities
- #1 First-Year Experiences
- #2 Study Abroad
- #2 Service Learning
- #2 (tied) Senior Capstone
- #8 Writing in the Disciplines
- #9 (tied) Co-ops/Internships
- #14 (tied) Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects
This year Elon and Duke University were the only institutions to be ranked among the top 15 in all eight categories. Elon ranked among the top 12 in all eight categories this year. Other highly ranked institutions include Agnes Scott College, which ranked in the top 20 in seven categories, and Amherst College, Princeton University and Stanford University, which each ranked in the top 20 in five categories.
The Top 10 national universities recognized for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” this year:
- #1 Elon University
- #2 Princeton University
- #3 Brown University
- #4 Georgia State University
- #5 Dartmouth College
- #6 Boston College
- #7 (tied) Arizona State University
- #7 (tied) Carnegie Mellon University
- #7 (tied) Rice University
- #10 (tied) Duke University
- #10 (tied) Miami University – Oxford
- #10 (tied) University of Notre Dame
“Most Innovative” National Universities:
- #1 Arizona State University
- #2 Georgia Institute of Technology
- #3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- #4 Carnegie Mellon University
- #5 Georgia State University
- #6 Stanford University
- #7 California Institute of Technology
- #8 Northeastern University
- #9 Purdue University–Main Campus
- #10 Johns Hopkins University
- #11 Duke University
- #12 University of Central Florida
- #13 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- #14 University of Maryland Baltimore County
- #15 Elon University