$74,545
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Elon University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Elon, North Carolina with 6,452 undergraduates and 787 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $41,555 a year (tuition and fees $46,958). It admits 66% of applicants and 84% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $74,545 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $20,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$41,555
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$46,958
US median $11,837
Admission rate
66%
US median 78%
Completion rate
84%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$20,500
About $217 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$74,545
Rank 277 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $41,555
- Tuition and fees
- $46,958
- Cost of attendance
- $62,266
- Students with a need-based grant
- 9.9%
- Students with federal loans
- 24%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $26,523
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,514
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $24,064
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $34,472
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $49,743
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $32,172 in 2015-16 to $46,958 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 66%
- Average SAT
- 1,208
- Undergraduates
- 6,452
- Graduate students
- 787
- Part-time students
- 2.8%
- Women
- 59%
- Students per teacher
- 11
- Completion rate
- 84%
- Retention rate
- 90%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 78
- Endowment
- $365.5M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 277 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $41,555 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $46,958 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 66% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 84% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 90% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $20,500 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $58,082 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $74,545 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 83% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 80% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
78 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 167 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 144 | $20,500 | $55,893 | $95,163 | $69,303 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 138 | $19,500 | $33,894 | $60,832 | $50,497 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 134 | $19,500 | $66,614 | $103,426 | $83,343 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 128 | $119,023 | $57,581 | $82,321 | $107,773 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 127 | $19,500 | $36,668 | $69,856 | $50,706 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 86 | $22,750 | $21,440 | $68,178 | $54,562 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $20,500 | $38,836 | $89,685 | $63,293 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | $21,999 | $48,637 | $73,750 | $56,359 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $68,257 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $20,000 | $47,095 | $63,041 | $47,382 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 44 | $148,375 | $74,620 | $82,774 | $81,641 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $23,125 | $32,683 | $53,369 | $57,214 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | Withheld | $24,345 | Withheld | $39,775 |
| JournalismBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $18,000 | $34,105 | $69,964 | $56,278 |
| International BusinessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | $91,132 | $73,201 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $19,500 | $69,298 | $112,303 | $82,686 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 36 | $131,302 | $105,947 | $123,121 | $127,347 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | $20,500 | $42,088 | $81,153 | $58,808 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $20,000 | $69,764 | $105,707 | $76,194 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | Withheld | $62,626 | $80,850 | $61,027 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 24 | $60,825 | $90,264 | $105,377 | $103,485 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Elon and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Elon University cost?
$41,555 a year is the average net price at Elon University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $46,958, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $62,266. Families earning under $30,000 pay $26,523 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Elon University?
66% of applicants are admitted to Elon University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,208. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Elon University graduates earn?
$74,545 a year is the median pay of former Elon University students who work, 10 years after they started ($58,082 after 6 years). That ranks 277 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $105,947.
How much student debt do Elon University graduates have?
$20,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Elon University graduates, about $217 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 24% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Elon University?
84% of first-time, full-time students at Elon University finish within 6 years. 90% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Elon University?
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (167 bachelor's graduates), Marketing (144 bachelor's graduates), Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (138 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 78 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.