Updated February 11, 2025

Elon continues to grow in size and stature while holding fast to its roots in experiential education.

Since my daughter entered Elon as a freshman more than a decade ago, its tradition of handing out acorns to freshmen and oak saplings to grads continues, but new buildings abound. Elon had about 5,000 undergrads then; now there are 6,400.

Experiential education–a buzzword in today’s academic landscape–was rarer in 2013 but a key feature of an Elon education. What does experiential education mean at Elon? Every Elon student must participate in at least two of five categories of experience: study abroad, research, service, leadership, or internship.

Some points to consider

You are admitted to the university, not to a major or one of the five colleges. Undergraduates enter Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences, before declaring a major. In addition to Elon College, there’s the School of Business, the School of Communications, the School of Education, and the School of Health Sciences. The law school is housed in Charlotte, N.C.

Programs

• Engineering has ABET certification, though it’s currently still part of the Elon College of Arts & Sciences. Elon recently opened a prefabrication and prototype facility for engineering students, its first phase of the technology-based Innovation Quad. From Elon.edu: “The first two buildings of The IQ are just the beginning of a visionary plan that fosters not only the convergence of engineering and science but also entrepreneurship, sales, design thinking and analytics. The IQ represents a historic step forward for Elon University and a tremendous commitment to developing future global leaders in science and engineering who create things that matter.”

• The nursing program is direct-admit and requires submitting an SAT of at least 1100 or an ACT of 22. The Elon nursing program is approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. 

• The musical theater program is super-selective and ranked among the top five in the U.S. Only around 16 students are selected each year and an in-person audition is required. 

Housing

• Housing at The Oaks for sophomores beats out any apartment I could have afforded when I started my career in teaching. Each unit for two students include a full kitchen, a common living area, a full washer and dryer, and two separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. (I couldn’t believe my daughter wanted to move off campus after living there!)

Honors and Fellows

This year, Elon changed how students could access their Honors College and Fellows programs. In the past, Elon specially invited selected students who had applied to the university to interview for the program. Students in these programs can conduct faculty-mentored research for a period of two to four years.

On the Common App or university-specific application for 2025, students had the option to apply for Honors or Fellows when they applied to Elon; consequently, 6,100 students applied for only 335 slots. Of those who applied, 37% were invited to interview.

Want to go to Elon?

Demonstrated interest can move your application toward the accepted pile. You won’t regret scheduling a visit.