In this work, thermo-elastic stability behavior of laminated cross-ply elliptical cylindrical shells subjected to uniform temperature rise is studied employing the finite element approach based on higher-order theory that accounts for the transverse shear and transverse normal deformations, and nonlinear in-plane displacement approximations through the thickness with slope discontinuity at the layer interfaces. The combined influence of higher-order shear deformation, shell geometry and non-circularity on the prebuckling thermal stress distribution and critical temperature parameter of laminated elliptical cylindrical shells is examined.