Quad

Head-to-head

Elon
Sacred Heart

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Sacred Heart has 14 pts more first-gen students than Elon (23% vs. 9%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    Elon graduates 12 pts more of its students than Sacred Heart (83% vs. 71%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Sacred Heart's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 22% at Elon

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Sacred Heart's yield is 6 pts higher than Elon's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Sacred Heart has 6 pts more Pell recipients than Elon (16% vs. 10%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Sacred Heart is a bit larger (7,087 vs. 6,150)

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Elon admits 63%, Sacred Heart 65%; Sacred Heart's yield is higher, at 17%.

Acceptance rate
Elon63%
Sacred Heart65%
Quad's selectivity
  • ElonSelective
  • Sacred HeartSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Elon
1190–1340
Sacred HeartTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ElonRigor and GPA very important70%
  • Sacred HeartGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Sacred Heart is a bit larger than Elon (7,087 vs. 6,150 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Elon6.2K
Sacred Heart7.1K
Pell Grant share
Elon10%
Sacred Heart16%

Majors and faculty

Communication Management and Strategic Communications leads at Elon, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at Sacred Heart.

Students per faculty member
Elon11 to 1
Sacred Heart15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ElonCommunication Management and Strategic Communications9%
  • Sacred HeartRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse17%

What each costs

Elon and Sacred Heart cost about the same a year on average; Sacred Heart's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Elon$48.8K
Sacred Heart$49.3K
Aid generosity
Elon22%
Sacred Heart30%

What each pays off

Sacred Heart's former students earn more, a median $75.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Elon$74.5K
Sacred Heart$75.1K
Graduation rate
Elon83%
Sacred Heart71%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ElonGrowing+73%
  • Sacred HeartGrowing+81%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Elon University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Elon University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Elon University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;Elon University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why