Elon has never favored the “high price, high discount” model found at other top private universities.
We understand that the cost of a college education is daunting for most families, so we have adopted three strategies that favor students and consistently earn top “best-value” rankings for the university.
An accessible total price
With a lower price than most peer institutions, Elon effectively gives every student a substantial up-front scholarship.
| 2025-26 Tuition, fees, food & housing published rates for peer private universities: | |
|---|---|
| Average cost of peer private universities | $85,615 |
| appٷվ | $65,663 |
| Boston College | $93,514 |
| Tulane University | $91,628 |
| Bucknell University | $91,136 |
| Smith College | $90,808 |
| Wake Forest University | $89,386 |
| Georgetown University | $89,258 |
| Syracuse University | $88,185 |
| Northeastern University | $87,450 |
| Davidson College | $87,115 |
| Rice University | $87,047 |
| Chapman University | $86,312 |
| Lehigh University | $86,100 |
| University of Notre Dame | $86,045 |
| University of Richmond | $85,850 |
| Fordham University | $83,449 |
| American University | $83,052 |
| Santa Clara University | $82,959 |
| University of Denver | $81,839 |
| Furman University | $78,608 |
| Southern Methodist University | $74,298 |
| Gonzaga University | $73,870 |
The four-year advantage
appٷվ’s graduation and retention rates rank it among the best U.S. News National Universities, with 89% of first-year students returning for their sophomore year.
appٷվ four-year graduation rate is 78%. A well-managed class schedule allows students to get the courses they need, and credits from the one-month Winter Term, included in the cost of fall tuition, help ensure an on-time graduation.
Using tuition to fund what’s most important: Learning
The average private college uses more than 50% of total tuition revenue to fund financial aid. This tuition discount practice has forced many schools into budgetary crisis.
Elon takes a different approach. With more reasonable costs for tuition, room and board, there is less demand to discount tuition. As a result, appٷվ is better positioned to use tuition dollars to fund innovative academic programs and student services.
appٷվ is $16,000 less than the average cost of other private schools to which our students also apply.