Quad

Head-to-head

Elon
Marist

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Marist's grants cover 35% of its full price on average, vs. 22% at Elon

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Marist has 10 pts more first-gen students than Elon (19% vs. 9%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Marist's yield is 9 pts higher than Elon's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Marist costs about $4.3K less per year on average than Elon ($44,453 vs. $48,751, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  5. 5

    Marist has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Elon (14% vs. 10%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  6. 6

    Marist grads earn $3.3K more ten years out than Elon's ($77,819 vs. $74,545)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Marist admits 57%, Elon 63%; Marist's yield is higher, at 20%.

Acceptance rate
Elon63%
Marist57%
Quad's selectivity
  • ElonSelective
  • MaristSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Elon
1190–1340
Marist
1190–1340
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ElonRigor and GPA very important70%
  • MaristGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Elon is a bit larger than Marist (6,150 vs. 5,182 undergrads); Marist has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Elon6.2K
Marist5.2K
Pell Grant share
Elon10%
Marist14%

Majors and faculty

Communication Management and Strategic Communications leads at Elon, and Business Administration and Management at Marist.

Students per faculty member
Elon11 to 1
Marist15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ElonCommunication Management and Strategic Communications9%
  • MaristBusiness Administration and Management, General19%

What each costs

Marist costs about $4.3K less a year than Elon on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Elon$48.8K
Marist$44.5K
Aid generosity
Elon22%
Marist35%

What each pays off

Marist's former students earn more, a median $77.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Elon$74.5K
Marist$77.8K
Graduation rate
Elon83%
Marist80%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ElonGrowing+73%
  • MaristGrowing+16%
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