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Elon scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$73,403per year · 2026-2027 · On-campus
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Elon awards automatic merit on admission. Elon does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
4 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Honors Program (Honors Fellows)$15,000/yr Honors scholarship + $12,000/yr Presidential Scholarship = $27,000/yr ($108,000 over four years), plus a $1,000 Global Study grant and a $1,000 thesis-research grantNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Honors Program (Honors Fellows)

    $15,000/yr Honors scholarship + $12,000/yr Presidential Scholarship = $27,000/yr ($108,000 over four years), plus a $1,000 Global Study grant and a $1,000 thesis-research grant

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Honors Program (Honors Fellows)

    Who qualifies

    60 students selected each year based on high school records, essays, teacher recommendations, and a faculty interview. Requires a separate Honors application by November 10 and an interview at the February Honors and Fellows weekend.

    How to keep it

    The $15,000 Honors scholarship is renewable annually based on academic performance and participation in the program.

  2. Fellows Programs (Business, Communications, Elon College, Engineering and Computing, Nursing, Teaching) and Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows$8,000/yr each, plus a one-time $1,000 Global Study grant (in addition to any Presidential or Engagement scholarship)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Fellows Programs (Business, Communications, Elon College, Engineering and Computing, Nursing, Teaching) and Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows

    $8,000/yr each, plus a one-time $1,000 Global Study grant (in addition to any Presidential or Engagement scholarship)

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Fellows Programs (Business, Communications, Elon College, Engineering and Computing, Nursing, Teaching) and Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows

    Who qualifies

    Require a separate Fellows application by November 10 and an interview at the February Honors and Fellows weekend (Feb 6-7, 2026 for the most recent cycle). The $8,000 award stacks on top of an automatic Presidential or Engagement scholarship.

    How to keep it

    Renewable annually as long as the student remains a Fellow in good standing.

  3. Presidential Scholarship$8,000-$12,000 annuallyAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Presidential Scholarship

    $8,000-$12,000 annually

    Published rangeAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Awarded to approximately 15% of entering first-year students based on the high school record. No separate application is needed — all applicants are automatically considered. This is the automatic merit floor that the competitive Fellows awards stack on top of.

    How to keep it

    Annual award based on the high school record.

  4. Elon Engagement Scholarship$5,000 annually, plus a one-time $2,000 grantAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Elon Engagement Scholarship

    $5,000 annually, plus a one-time $2,000 grant

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Elon Engagement Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    All first-year applicants are automatically considered based on academic record and the application essay. No separate application required.

    How to keep it

    Annual award.

Lights up against Elon's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office. Award terms and residency rules change; some awards differ for in-state and out-of-state students. Always confirm at the school’s source page.

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Alamance Building Students at Elon University

Alamance Building Students at Elon University

What makes Elon different

Mid-size North Carolina private known for experiential learning, where the real merit value is a tiered competitive ladder — the Honors Program ($27,000/yr) and the school-based Fellows programs ($8,000/yr on top of an automatic Presidential Scholarship) — all decided at a February interview weekend.

Merit tiers42 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Elon's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What Elon's aid office says

Per the Offices of Financial Aid and Admissions, Elon University, August 2026. How we verify

Outside scholarships

If an outside scholarship arrives after the award letter, what gets reduced?

Loans first. The Financial Aid office confirmed in writing that when aid must be adjusted after an outside scholarship check arrives, loans are reduced first, then federal work-study if needed — and they try not to touch grants or scholarships.

“If the financial aid needs to be adjusted after we receive a scholarship check, we typically adjust loans first. If the student qualifies for federal work study, that will be adjusted after loans if needed. We try to not take away from grants or scholarships if we don’t have to.”
Keeping the scholarship

What GPA keeps a merit scholarship each year, and is there any leniency?

A 3.0 GPA or above, typically — and the office volunteered that they give grace when a student is close to the 3.0 line.

“If he is awarded a merit scholarship, typically he will need to keep his GPA at 3.0 or above. We do give grace if they are close to the 3.0 GPA.”
Program deadlines

Do any scholarship programs have earlier deadlines than admission?

Yes — three separate ones: the Fellows Program application is due November 10, the Scholars Program April 15, and the Odyssey Program January 12.

“Yes, the Fellows Program application deadline is November 10. The Scholars Program application deadline is April 15. The Odyssey Program deadline is January 12.”
Automatic consideration

Is a separate application needed for the Presidential or Elon Engagement Scholarship?

No. The Admissions office confirmed all applicants are automatically considered for both — no separate application.

“You will be automatically considered for these scholarships, meaning you don't have to apply separately for them.”
How merit is decided

What are the Presidential and Engagement Scholarships based on?

The Presidential Scholarship is based on GPA and test scores when available; the Elon Engagement Scholarship is based on the application essay and extracurriculars.

“The Presidential Scholarship is based on GPA and test scores, when available. Our Elon Engagement Scholarship is awarded based on the application essay and extracurriculars, but is not available to those who receive the Presidential Scholarship.”
Presidential + Engagement

Can a student receive both the Presidential and Engagement Scholarships?

No — the Admissions office stated the Engagement Scholarship is not available to students who receive the Presidential Scholarship. (Fellows awards are a separate ladder and stack on top of either.)

“Our Elon Engagement Scholarship is awarded based on the application essay and extracurriculars, but is not available to those who receive the Presidential Scholarship.”
Fellows & Scholars programs

Do the Fellows and Scholars Programs require a separate application?

Yes — they are a family of scholarships with separate applications, each with its own requirements and amounts.

“The other scholarship programs we offer are called the Fellows and Scholars Programs, which consist of a variety of different scholarships that require a separate application.”

What families often miss

  1. The discipline-based Fellows programs are $8,000 per year on top of an automatic Presidential or Engagement scholarship. Even the top Honors Program at $27,000 per year covers only about 40% of Elon's $68,495 cost of attendance. These are meaningful discounts, not full rides — budget for the remaining balance.

  2. Admission and the competitive scholarship applications are separate. You must submit your first-year admission application (November 1 for Early Decision/Early Action) AND a separate Honors or Fellows application by November 10, then attend the February interview weekend. Miss the November 10 deadline and you cannot compete for Honors or Fellows money — only the automatic Presidential and Engagement scholarships remain.

  3. They stack. The automatic Presidential Scholarship ($8,000-$12,000, given to about 15% of the class) and the $8,000 Fellows award are added together. The Honors Program package is explicitly built this way: $15,000 Honors plus a $12,000 Presidential equals $27,000 per year.

See award cutoffs and special programs

Elon Honors Program — $27,000 a year ($108,000 over four years), but only 60 seats and an interview required

The Honors Program is Elon's flagship merit award. Each year, 60 students are selected based on their high school records, essays, teacher recommendations, and a faculty interview. Honors students receive a $15,000 scholarship renewable annually, plus a $12,000 Presidential Scholarship, for total scholarship funding of $27,000 each year — $108,000 over four years — and they also get a $1,000 Global Study grant and a $1,000 thesis-research grant. Against a 2026-27 cost of attendance of $68,495, the Honors package covers roughly 40% of the bill; it is a major discount, not a full ride. Unlike Elon's automatic Presidential Scholarship, Honors requires a separate application by November 10 and an interview during the February Honors and Fellows weekend. Students aiming for Honors should also know it is the most selective rung of a broader ladder: six discipline-based Fellows programs (Business, Communications, Elon College, Engineering and Computing, Nursing, Teaching) plus the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows each add $8,000 per year on top of any automatic award.

Source

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Engaged, high-achieving applicants who can apply early (admission by November 1, Honors/Fellows app by November 10) and attend the February interview weekend. Strong students who do not win a competitive seat still get an automatic Presidential Scholarship ($8,000-$12,000) given to about 15% of the entering class with no separate application.

Cost of attendance$73,403 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$73,403
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal

Tuition & fees combines tuition plus student activity and health & wellness fees.

Elon cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Elon, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Elon, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$26,523
$30,001–$48,000$23,514
$48,001–$75,000$24,064
$75,001–$110,000$34,472
$110,001+$49,743
All income levels (average)$41,555

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$46,958
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$41,555

That works out to roughly a 33% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $62,266 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
84%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
90%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,500 (~$217/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$74,545
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
10%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
28%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Elon states that in most cases an outside scholarship will not reduce your Elon award. When a reduction is required, Elon cuts student loans and/or work first, and only reduces a scholarship or grant where absolutely necessary — a genuinely student-friendly, loan-first displacement order.

On Elon's financial aid FAQ, the university answers whether an outside scholarship affects the Elon award: in most cases it will not; where a reduction is required, Elon first reduces student loans and/or work, and only where absolutely necessary will it reduce a scholarship or grant. This protects competitive merit awards like Honors and Fellows from being wiped out by an outside scholarship in most cases.

Source

Other Elon scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

Amount$5,000 annuallyEligibilityCompetitive; awarded through Elon's Scholars/Fellows program applications. See source for current eligibility criteria.

Source

Elon merit aid FAQ

  • Is Elon's merit aid automatic or do I have to apply?

    Both exist. The Presidential Scholarship ($8,000-$12,000, about 15% of the class) and the Elon Engagement Scholarship ($5,000) are automatic with no separate application. The Honors Program and the Fellows programs are competitive and require a separate application by November 10 plus an interview at the February Honors and Fellows weekend.

  • How much is the Elon Honors Program worth and how many students get it?

    Each year 60 students are selected for the Honors Program. They receive a $15,000 scholarship plus a $12,000 Presidential Scholarship for $27,000 per year — $108,000 over four years — plus a $1,000 Global Study grant and a $1,000 thesis-research grant. Selection is based on high school records, essays, teacher recommendations, and a faculty interview.

  • What do the Fellows programs pay and how do they relate to other scholarships?

    The discipline-based Fellows programs (Business, Communications, Elon College, Engineering and Computing, Nursing, Teaching) and the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows are each $8,000 per year plus a one-time $1,000 Global Study grant, awarded in addition to any automatic Presidential or Engagement scholarship. They require a separate application by November 10 and an interview.

  • Will an outside scholarship reduce my Elon aid?

    In most cases it will not. When a reduction is required, Elon first reduces student loans and/or work, and only where absolutely necessary will it reduce a scholarship or grant. That loan-first order protects competitive merit awards like Honors and Fellows from being displaced by outside money in most situations.

  • What does Elon cost and how far does merit aid go?

    For 2026-27, the estimated cost of attendance is $68,495 (tuition and fees $51,368, housing $8,898, food $8,229 with a standard plan). Even Elon's top Honors package at $27,000 per year covers about 40% of that, so plan for a meaningful remaining balance after merit aid.

See sources and other schools

How Elon compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Elon is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Elon is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Elon’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Elon merit aid

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