Elon earns a long list of top honors in the 2012 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings by U.S.News & World Report.
In the magazine’s annual ranking released Sept. 13, U.S. News named the nation’s top 56 schools with “an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching” as measured in a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans. Elon was named the #1 Southern university in that category.
In the overall Southern master’s-level universities ranking of 127 schools, Elon ranks #2 for the fifth year in a row, the top North Carolina school in the category.
Southern Universities
1. Rollins College (Fla.)
2. Elon University
3. Stetson University (Fla.)
4. Samford University (Ala.)
5. The Citadel (S.C.)
In its 2012 “Up-and-Comers” ranking, U.S. News ranks Elon the #1 Southern University and among the top 46 colleges and universities in the nation “that have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities,” as recommended in a survey of top college administrators.
Again this year, Elon leads the nation in a US News “Focus on Student Success” ranking of key programs that enrich the college experience. Elon is among the nation’s leaders in the following categories:
- Senior capstone experiences
- First-year experience
- Learning communities
- Study abroad
- Service learning
- Undergraduate research/creative projects
Elon is the only school named in six of the eight key program categories.
Elon also earns recognition in the U.S. News “Great Schools, Great Prices” ranking, rating among the top 15 Southern universities based on a combination of academic quality and net costs for students and their families.
In a ranking titled “A+ schools for B students,” U.S. News names Elon among the top 19 Southern universities “where spirit and hard work could make all the difference” in applications for admissions.
The 2012 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings provide the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
Elon’s top U.S. News rankings follow previous “best colleges” rankings by The Princeton Review and the Fiske Guide to Colleges, which were released in August.