Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranks Elon a top-50 best value among the nation's private universities and #18 nationally in lowest total cost.
In its annual ranking of the top values in higher education, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Elon #18 in total cost and #44 in overall best value among the nation’s private colleges and universities. The ranking is the 11th consecutive top-50 best value recognition of Elon by Kiplinger’s.
Kiplinger’s says Elon and the other top-value schools “combine outstanding academics with affordable cost.” Elon’s total cost is $10,000-$30,000 lower than most of the other top-50 private universities ranked by Kiplinger’s. Costs at 1,200 schools were analyzed in ranking.
Elon, Duke University and Wake Forest University are the only schools in the Carolinas included in the private universities category.
“There’s no way around it: College is expensive, and it’s going to stay that way for a long time,” said Kiplinger’s Editor Janet Bodnar. “So, with our rankings—which weigh affordability alongside academic quality—our goal is to help students and their parents understand what’s really worth the price.”
Kiplinger’s quality measures, which are weighted more heavily than cost, include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation.
Elon has a 12-1 student-faculty ratio, a four-year graduation rate of 79 percent, and more than 90 percent of freshmen return for their sophomore year.