Elon University earns 33 badges for excellence in rankings based on the outcomes of a college education. The rankings were published Sept. 8 by USA Today and College Factual.
USA Today and College Factual recognize Elon University in the top tier of the nation’s colleges and universities in the 2017 college rankings, which were released Sept. 8. Four Elon academic programs were ranked in the top 5 percent in the nation, with 16 ranked in the top 10 percent and 13 in the top 15 percent. Overall, Elon is ranked in the top 11 percent of colleges and universities nationwide, and receives recognition for overall value.
Elon’s academic programs receiving the highest rankings in the survey, placing in the top 5 percent nationwide, include the following:
- marketing
- communication and journalism
- public relations and advertising
- majors related to parks, recreation and leisure studies.
Other academic programs placing either in the top 10 percent or the top 15 percent nationwide include:
- business administration and management
- accounting
- entrepreneurial studies
- finance
- international business
- radio, television and digital communication
- health and fitness
- public administration and social service
- social sciences
- drama and theater arts.
The USA Today/College Factual rankings are based on 11 factors of quality. The rankings do not involve any subjective data and schools are not grouped into categories. The rankings attempt to measure the quality of academic programs and majors, comparing schools in a variety of fields.
In addition to Elon, the other top-five schools in North Carolina are Duke University, Wake Forest University, Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Elon’s overall national ranking of #154 out of 1,387 schools is based on test scores of incoming students, high freshman retention rate and graduation rates, educational and faculty resources, starting salary of graduates, and a low default rate on student loans.
College Factual provides proprietary college content and insights, college rankings and an array of college-comparison and decision-making tools to help students find their best-fit college. In 2016, the company was chosen to be the data provider for the USA Today College Guide, which is read by more than 100,000 U.S. families.