What are the best colleges and universities in Louisiana if you reward schools for making the best use of their limited resources? Academic Stewardship asks how effectively schools manage their financial and human resources to gain the influence that makes them academically excellent. Schools that are exemplary in Academic Stewardship are doing everything in their power to help students and faculty achieve their full potential.
Colleges and universities in Louisiana deserve to be recognized when they do more with less. It’s impressive when a large wealthy school can spend money lavishly on expensive buildings and programs. But it’s even more impressive when a small school with limited means is able to train and inspire students that the larger wealthier schools tend to ignore.
The American Association of Colleges and Universities reported in late 2021 that almost 75 percent of higher-education professionals at US colleges and universities felt financial constraints prevented their schools from effectively attracting students. Distracted by the size and amenities of larger schools, prospective students tended especially to be overawed by the big research universities.
Louisiana’s smaller colleges, especially its liberal arts colleges, need effective ways of communicating their value to a world that celebrates “bigger is better” and “you need the best.” Unfortunately, most college ranking companies, such as U.S. News & World Report, define “best” in a way that devalues schools with smaller budgets and fewer students even when these schools do remarkable work in advancing their students’ education. By and large, college rankings penalize schools that serve underserved populations.
Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell, who for years now has criticized conventional college rankings for misrepresenting what’s good and valuable in education, we decided to construct a new ranking metric that highlights those schools that do more with less. That metric—called the Academic Stewardship metric—takes away both the size and the wealth advantage of schools, and focuses instead on how well schools use the resources available to them to advance the education of their students.
As a metric, Academic Stewardship is defined by a precise mathematical formula, which can be found in our Academic Stewardship white paper. Measuring the Academic Stewardship of Louisiana’s colleges requires measuring two forms of stewardship: 1) Stewardship of financial resources (using the money they have responsibility without waste) and 2) Stewardship of human resources (doing their best to help students, faculty, and administration to flourish). Together, these two types of stewardship form what we call Academic Stewardship. If you want to learn more about the factors involved in Academic Stewardship, click the more button below.
Academic Stewardship as so defined is connected to keeping tuition and other costs down, but it should not be confused with affordability or frugality. The schools that this metric ranks as exemplary academic stewards tend to be all over the map when it comes to tuition and other costs. At issue is the influence of schools given the financial and human resources they have on hand. If a school is going to charge more for tuition, then that needs to be reflected in the school having proportionately greater influence.
The benefits of attending a school with strong academic stewardship include:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
50%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/21
Dillard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
59%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/25
Loyola University New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
42%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
985/18
Grambling State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
41%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1127/22
University of New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
50%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/23
Xavier University of Louisiana’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
28%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
990/18
Southern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
61%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1162/25
Louisiana Tech University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
44%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/22
McNeese State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
93%
Graduation
45%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1086/22
Nicholls State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
57%
Student body
7K
University of Louisiana at Monroe’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Though the culture in Louisiana is sure to draw you in, the affordability of its 26 public colleges and universities also makes it an appealing place to earn your degree. Seven community colleges average $4,000 for tuition, and the cost to attend its public institutions ranges from $5,000 to $12,000. With just shy of 27,000 students, Louisiana State University (LSU) is the largest public university, boasting a tuition rate of $12,000.
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LSU, located in Baton Rouge, offers degrees in engineering, education, theater, and landscape architecture. For those looking to merge their faith with their education, the state also has eight religious institutions, including Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist schools. Prospective students can also attend one of 10 private colleges, including Tulane University and Louisiana Culinary Institute. Tulane University’s tuition rate is $55,000, and it is best known for its medical and law schools. Attorneys in Louisiana who have debt from law school may be eligible to receive $5,000 annually through the Loan Repayment Assistance Program from the Bar Foundation.
Jazz, beignets, and Mardi Gras — the culture, food, and music of Louisiana make it an irresistible place to indulge. This L-shaped state is nicknamed The Pelican State, but the American alligator is also known to roam its lands. Wildlife aside, Louisiana is home to 36 higher education institutions that award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
Louisiana offers a variety of higher education experiences, serving a full range of budgetary needs and career goals. Find out more about earning your degree from one of Louisiana’s colleges or universities.