Best Public Colleges in Louisiana 2024

Published: Apr 13, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in Louisiana provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.

Southeastern Louisiana University 99%
Nicholls State University 97%
Northwestern State University 96%
Louisiana State University Shreveport 91%
University of New Orleans 81%
Southern University at New Orleans 79%
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 78%
Grambling State University 72%
Louisiana State University 71%
University of Louisiana at Monroe 70%

Grambling State University 30 to 1
Louisiana State University Shreveport 28 to 1
Louisiana Tech University 23 to 1
Louisiana State University 22 to 1
Southern University 22 to 1
McNeese State University 21 to 1
Southeastern Louisiana University 20 to 1
University of New Orleans 20 to 1
Northwestern State University 19 to 1
Nicholls State University 19 to 1

Louisiana State University $8,038
Louisiana Tech University $6,401
University of New Orleans $6,090
University of Louisiana at Monroe $5,788
Southeastern Louisiana University $5,777
Louisiana State University Shreveport $5,656
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,407
Northwestern State University $5,180
McNeese State University $5,147
Grambling State University $5,140

Louisiana State University $9,132
Southeastern Louisiana University $6,684
University of Louisiana at Monroe $6,490
Louisiana State University Shreveport $6,196
University of New Orleans $6,090
Southern University at New Orleans $6,024
Northwestern State University $5,738
McNeese State University $5,703
Nicholls State University $5,686
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,511

Louisiana State University of Alexandria
Louisiana State University Shreveport
Southern University at New Orleans
Nicholls State University
University of Louisiana at Monroe
McNeese State University
Northwestern State University
Grambling State University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana State University of Alexandria 58%
Southern University 59%
Louisiana Tech University 66%
McNeese State University 69%
University of Louisiana at Monroe 70%
Louisiana State University 71%
Grambling State University 72%
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 78%
Southern University at New Orleans 79%
University of New Orleans 81%

Louisiana State University of Alexandria 16 to 1
Southern University at New Orleans 17 to 1
University of Louisiana at Monroe 18 to 1
Northwestern State University 19 to 1
Nicholls State University 19 to 1
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 19 to 1
Southeastern Louisiana University 20 to 1
University of New Orleans 20 to 1
McNeese State University 21 to 1
Louisiana State University 22 to 1

Southern University at New Orleans $4,483
Nicholls State University $4,922
Southern University $4,973
Louisiana State University of Alexandria $4,984
Grambling State University $5,140
McNeese State University $5,147
Northwestern State University $5,180
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,407
Louisiana State University Shreveport $5,656
Southeastern Louisiana University $5,777

Grambling State University $5,110
Southern University $5,336
Louisiana Tech University $5,416
University of Louisiana at Lafayette $5,511
Nicholls State University $5,686
McNeese State University $5,703
Northwestern State University $5,738
Southern University at New Orleans $6,024
University of New Orleans $6,090
Louisiana State University Shreveport $6,196

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Louisiana

With a wide range of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Louisiana, students can choose from numerous excellent and highly respected undergraduate and graduate programs. Many of the top Louisiana schools are noted for their affordability as well.

This is because Louisiana offers low residents low in state tuition rates for access to its 26 public colleges. If your school search includes public colleges in Louisiana, you’ll have a number of great options. The cost to attend a public college in Louisiana typically ranges from $5,000 to $12,000.

Out of state students will typically pay more. However, Louisiana residents who attend public online schools will be eligible for the instate tuition discount.

With just shy of 27,000 students, the Louisiana State University system is the largest public school system in the state. With an annual tuition rate of $12,000, LSU provides a full spectrum of both traditional and online degree programs in areas like engineering, education, theater, and landscape architecture.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Other reputable public schools in Louisiana include the University of Louisiana, Northwestern State University, and Southern University and A&M College. Southern University is a highly regarded historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Students attending public universities in Louisiana can earn both on-campus and online degrees in popular subjects like business management, health services administration, health sciences, and criminal justice.

Louisiana is also noted for an extensive technical college system, where students can pursue a wide range of on-campus and online degree programs. Likewise, the average tuition for a year at one of Louisiana’s seven community colleges is $4,000.

For students looking to merge their faith with their education, Louisiana is also home to 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. Based in the culturally rich city of New Orleans, Tulane 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-based financial aid 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 through an array of traditional and online schools.

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.

What are Louisiana’s Colleges & Universities?

Louisiana’s Best Overall

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

This list is composed entirely of public colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 14 public universities in Louisiana. To be included in our list of the best public colleges in Louisiana, shcools must receive direct funding from the state, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor’s degress.

How do we determine Louisiana's best public colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Public Colleges in Louisiana 2023

Build your own college ranknigs

Louisiana’s Best Public College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

Check out our directory of public colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top public colleges in every state.

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Best Public Colleges in Louisiana 2023

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Career Outlook for degree at University of New Orleans

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Career Outlook for degree at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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Career Outlook for degree at Southern University

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Career Outlook for degree at Southeastern Louisiana University

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Career Outlook for degree at Grambling State University

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Career Outlook for degree at University of Louisiana at Monroe

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Career Outlook for degree at Nicholls State University

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Career Outlook for degree at Southern University at New Orleans

Career Outlook for degree at Louisiana State University of Alexandria

Career Outlook for degree at Louisiana State University Shreveport

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