Elon University vs Harding University

Elon University and Harding University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Elon, a private university in North Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a more diverse student body compared to Harding, a private Christian university in Arkansas. While both universities offer a range of undergraduate programs, Elon is known for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, while Harding excels in fields such as nursing, education, and Bible studies. With different graduation rates and distinct campus cultures, Elon and Harding cater to students with varying academic interests, backgrounds, and aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your individual needs and preferences.

	Elon University	Harding University
Overview
Location	Elon, North Carolina	Searcy, Arkansas
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.7%	54.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	1050 - 1300
ACT range	N/A	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		23.0%
Students submitting ACT score		80.0%
Total number of applicants	17,834	2,200
Total number of admissions given out	13,859	1,191
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,591	748
Yield rate	11.5%	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,647	$34,538
Average net price	$40,366	$20,533
Tuition	$38,218	$21,690
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,593 Meal plan: $6,829	Room/dormitory: $4,068 Meal plan: $4,658
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	67.0% Average amount $13,677	97.0% Average amount $12,769
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,259	45.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $25,192	6.0% Average amount $12,585

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,302 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	3,684 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	825 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,289 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	80.6%	N/A
International students	2.0%	6.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,192	2,867
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Health Professions Communication and Journalism Education	Health Professions Education Business Communication and Journalism Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.3%	67.2%
Dropout rate	16.7%	31.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,556 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $105,320 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,803 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $78,720 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,320 Year 2: $60,016 Year 3: $77,567 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,276 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $77,220 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,564 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $76,604 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,888 Year 2: $69,629 Year 3: $70,208 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,091 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $64,255 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $59,817 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,293 Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $58,053 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,055 Year 3: $55,617	Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $117,748 Year 2: $124,539 Year 3: $127,639 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,011 Year 2: $106,978 Year 3: $105,028 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,933 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $88,179 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $69,415 Year 2: $68,618 Year 3: $71,365 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,335 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $69,942 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,533 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,054 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,156 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $65,082 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,219 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,125 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,088 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,592 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,124 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,778

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Elon University vs Harding University

Elon University

Harding University

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

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Academics

Outcome

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