U.S. News & World Report ranks Elon University 9th among 131 master’s-level universities in the South in its 2004 “America’s Best Colleges” guide. In addition, the magazine ranks three of Elon’s academic programs among the best in the nation. Details...
Based on a survey of college presidents, academic vice presidents and deans at all colleges and universities in the nation, U.S. News produces eight lists of “outstanding examples of academic programs that lead to student success.” Elon was honored for excellence in the following programs:
- First-year Experiences (programs designed to help freshmen make a successful transition to college)
- Service-learning (programs that combine volunteer service with academic courses)
- Learning Communities (innovative programs in which students who live together on a residence hall floor take a set of the same courses, related to their majors or interests, and work closely with faculty members)
Only 12 schools out of 1,400 colleges and universities were singled out for three or more academic programs in the U.S. News “Programs to Look For” listing. Princeton and Yale universities were each recognized for four programs, and Elon, Duke University, Grinnell College, Harvard University, Portland State University, Truman State University, University of Missouri – Columbia, University of Wisconsin – Madison and University of Michigan – Ann Arbor were each recognized on three of the lists.
In addition, U.S. News ranks Elon #24 in the nation for the percentage of students who spend time studying abroad.
This is Elon’s third straight year in the Southern region top 10 in the U.S. News rankings. Elon ranks sixth among Southern universities for academic reputation and for graduation/student retention rates.
Elon continues to improve on criteria of the U.S. News ranking methodology, including significant increases in the average SAT score and high school class standing of incoming students. The student-faculty ratio improved to 15-to-1 and the percentage of full-time faculty increased to 91 percent. The percentage of alumni making an annual gift to Elon also increased to 25 percent.
The annual U.S. News & World Report report is the most widely read ranking of the nation’s colleges and universities.
Following is a list of the top 10 Master’s-level Southern universities:
1. University of Richmond
2. Rollins College
3. James Madison University
4. Stetson University
5. Samford University
6. (tie) Loyola University – New Orleans
Mary Washington College
Mercer University
9. Elon University
10. (tie) Centenary College of Louisiana
The Citadel
Following are the “Programs to Look For” listings that include Elon:
First-Year Experiences
Appalachian State University
Arizona State University
Beloit College
Brevard College
Duke University
Elon University
Evergreen State College
Grinnell College
Harvard University
Indiana Univ. –Bloomington
Indiana U. – Purdue U. –Indianapolis
Ithaca College
Kennesaw State University
Lawrence University
North Carolina State University
Ohio State University- Columbus
Princeton University
Stanford University
Texas A&M University
Truman State University
University of Maryland –College Park
University of Missouri – Columbia
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Richmond
University of South Carolina
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Wagner College
Wake Forest University
William Jewell College
Yale University
Learning Communities
Alverno College
Bowling Green State University
Duke University
Elon University
Evergreen State College
Georgia State University
Indiana U. – Purdue U. – Indianapolis
Iowa State University
Portland State University
Samford University
Santa Clara University
St. Lawrence University
Syracuse University
Temple University
Univ. of Maryland – College Park
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
University of Missouri – Columbia
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Vanderbilt University
Wagner College
Yale University
Service Learning
Alverno College
Augsburg College
Bentley College
Berea College
Brown University
Elon University
Georgetown University
Indiana U. – Purdue U. – Indianapolis
Pitzer College
Portland State University
Providence College
Santa Clara University
Stanford University
Trinity College
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Utah
Vanderbilt University
Warren Wilson College