Denied for Elon College and Leadership fellows and the Pre-Medical Scholarship. I so far have received no merit-based aid as an early decision applicant. Really bummed out. While my family can make ends meet, I want to go to graduate school and it would’ve been nice to have some money leftover. My parents’ incomes are too high for FAFSA/financial-based need. I’m really disappointed because I thought since I at least meet Elon’s average GPA requirement and am above their average SAT score (1420), I really thought I’d get at LEAST something, especially after applying ED. All my friends got scholarships at their ED/EA schools and I feel as if I am the only one. Is there any chance Elon will give more merit based aid later on or is this really it for me 
My understanding is for a private university their tuition is kept much lower than most, therefore not as much merit scholarships. Their tuition is significantly less than my daughter’s other top private schools. Congratulations to those who received invitations and good luck with Fellows Weekend! I am so sorry for those who didn’t get the news they were hoping for today. I know you have all worked really hard throughout your Education and you will continue to find successes as you move from high school into college. Take care and thank you for sharing today as we all waited so patiently.
Hi, denied last night for both leadership and business. For those that got in, what are your stats like? Just a little bit confused because my admissions rep and my college counselor told me I shouldn’t have a problem getting into the fellows program.
Same here, DD denied for both Elon College and Leadership. Stats well above average (Received Presidential Scholarship, 3.91W, 5.3W, rank 7/380, 1350 SAT, lots of EC/leadership both in school and community). We are very confused as well. She got in ED so wondering if it’s because she’s going regardless. Maybe invitations are used to entice well-qualified applicants who haven’t committed yet? For those that got invited, anyone ED?
My daughter did apply ED and accepted as a finalist for Teaching Fellows, we met another young woman there with the same. My guess is that the Teaching Fellows are not as competitive because of the select major? Elon will offer her many opportunities and congratulations on the Presidential Scholarship!
This thread is worrisome to me. Elon is currently at the top of my D19’s list, and she’s quite drawn to and seems to be on track to be competitive for Honors Fellows. It looks like Elon uses ED as a means to gain a base enrollment of full-tuition (I saw in another thread that 27% of the freshman class was filled via ED in 2016-17). So what to do? If she ends up applying ED, she is likely to get in…but at the cost of not being accepted to the Fellows Program. If she applies EA, there’s less of a chance of getting in, but maybe she’d be more competitive for Fellows…? Is there anyone who has been through this who has any thoughts on this?
ETA: Does Elon award Presidential Scholarships in the ED round?
My D18 applied ED. She received a presidential scholarship and is a Fellows applicant who was invited to compete for a scholarship (We are awaiting notification of acceptances.) (She is also happens to be an athletic scholarship recipient.)
In her case, ED does not seem to have any impact on academic scholarships.
FYI my D (current Elon student) applied ED and is a Comm Fellow. I don’t believe ED is a factor in choosing Fellows. While most (but not all) fellows come with some degree of scholarship, the position is not rewarded to applicants as a means for delivering financial assistance. The point of the fellows programs is to give students who are passionate about their field of study additional experiences and opportunities to excel. The respective departments do the interviewing, and they are looking to fill a cohort of interesting students who are dedicated to their field and have a background that shows passion towards it. The fellows positions are VERY competitive and no slam-dunk for any applicant. Every year there are folks here who are counting on being accepted as a Fellow as a means of bringing tuition in line with their budget, and then are disappointed when they don’t receive it and have to take Elon off their list. I have 2 children who interviewed for Fellows, one was successful and one was not. I can tell you from our experience that the department reception during Fellows week-end is very important to the decision process, as is their resume of related experiences. These things help them sort out who will really invest themselves into the respective program. Good luck to all who are waiting to hear!
Also - yes many ED applicants are given the Presidential Scholarship. Both my kids applied ED and received it.
Elon fellowships are competitive merit scholarships. No one participating in the process cares - and probably doesn’t even know - if a student applied ED. They’re just looking for those who will be most successful in any given program.
Getting invited, getting in, and receiving a substantial scholarship are dependent on the student’s stats, how they present themselves in interviews, how they do in seminar, and the pool of students they are competing against.
Actually, they are not merit scholarships, they are positions in a program, SOME (or, most but not all) of which come with a scholarship. My D did not receive scholarship $ with her Comm fellowship, other than a 1-time program travel stipend. But your point is correct that those overseeing the selection process don’t care, and probably don’t know, if applicants were an ED acceptance or not. I think stats play a part in who gets an invite, but during Fellows week-end it’s all about which prospective students will fit best into the cohort and the program. My S had excellent stats, but ultimately was not a good fit for the fellows program he applied for and they sniffed that out - we were disappointed at the time, but in hindsight they absolutely made the right decision.
Even without the added scholarship $, the Comm fellow program has been a really worthwhile experience for my D, and being a Fellow has provided her with unique opportunities she would not have had otherwise.
Your replies have been really helpful to me. I guess my confusion stemmed from the statement on the website’s Fellow’s “Benefits” page: “Beginning with the entering first-year class of 2019, all Elon College Fellows will receive scholarships valued at $5,500 annually. This is in addition to any $6,000 Presidential Scholarship awarded, which is renewable as long as the student remains a Fellow in good standing. Total scholarship award potential is $11,500 annually, or $46,000 over four years.”
So it’s great to know that some are admitted without scholarship money.
Each fellows program stands separate. There are Honors fellows, Elon College, Business, Communications, Teaching and Leadership. All Honors and Elon College fellows receive scholarships. Only some of the other fellows in each category receive scholarships. I don’t know how those are chosen. The website has some good info - https://www.elon.edu/e/admissions/undergraduate/financial-aid/fellows/index.html