Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for University of Texas at Austin, Elon University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | UT AustinAustin, TX | ElonElon, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 26.6% | 66.3% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1250–1510 | 1130–1280 |
| Average net price | $19,85725.9% on Pell grants | $41,5559.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $11,688 in-state · $44,908 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $46,958Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 88.9% | 84.0% |
| First-year retention | 96.7% | 89.8% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 25.9% | 9.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $75,121 | $74,545 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,500 | $20,500 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 18:1 | 11:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 42,855 | 6,452 |
| Consensus percentile | 6Lower is better | 26Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 8 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 13 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | UT Austin | Elon |
|---|---|---|
| US News | #30 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #117 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #46 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #147 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #39 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| WSJ | #41 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #155 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #30 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #471 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Listed |
| QS | #68 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Texas residents — especially top-6% students — who want a major research university, strong business or engineering programs, and a city that hires its own graduates.
42,855 undergraduates and a 18:1 ratio mean large classes and self-navigation.
Full profileStudents who learn through relationships and experience — study abroad, internships, mentored research — and who will actively use that infrastructure rather than assume the degree does the work.
Median earnings of $74,545 are modest relative to a $41,555 average net price.
Full profile