Elon University and Queens University expect to operate as distinct institutions for about two years in the first step of a two-part merger process, Queens Acting President Jesse Cureton told students in an email today.

In September, Elon, with 7,300 students and located in Alamance County about 20 miles east of Greensboro, said it would merge with Queens, which has about 1,800 students and is centered in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood. Both are private universities. Since then, officials of both campuses have been meeting to advance the plan, which include operating separate athletic programs.

Step One of the merger will conclude if the U.S. Department of Education approves the transaction as a “change in ownership that results in a change of control,” Cureton said.  Hstorically, it has “taken approximately two years from the beginning of Step One — here, from June 29, 2026.”

Then, once the colleges receive approval from other educational regulatory agencies, Step Two will involve Queens becoming “an additional location of Elon” and not be a separate, degree-granting institution.

Queens will keep its home, “its community roots, and the traditions that make Queens special, now backed by the combined support, programs, and communities of both institutions,” according to the email.

No decision has been made about naming Queens’ Charlotte campus, Cureton said. “ Both Queens and Elon are committed to honoring the Queens name as part of our combined future,” he said.

The schools are asking the NCAA for permission to operate two independent athletic programs on both campuses, Cureton said. Elon is in the Coastal Athletic Conference, while Queens is a member of the Athletic Sun Conference. Both operate in Division 1 athletics.

Cureton told students that Queens was “sending this notice in part because federal rules require it when two universities merge. More importantly, we want you to understand exactly what is happening, when it is happening, and what it means for you.”

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