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 a decade ago, its tradition of handing out acorns to freshmen and saplings to grads continues, but new buildings abound. Experiential education is a buzzword in today’s academic landscape, but it was rarer in 2013. 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, housed in Greensboro, N.C., is moving to Charlotte, N.C.

• Engineering now 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.

• The nursing program is direct-admit and requires submitting an SAT of at least 1100 or an ACT of 22. The program is in the process of getting its accreditation.

• 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. 

• This first weekend in March, specially invited admitted students and their parents will descend on Elon for the Scholars Weekend, where they will be interviewed for scholarships awarded through the Honors College and the Fellows programs. (I fell in love with Elon when my daughter was invited to this in 2013. She graduated from Elon in 2017 with a B.S. and a B.A.)
• Want to go to Elon?
• Demonstrated interest can move your application toward the accepted pile.