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.
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.
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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.
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.
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
69%
Student body
30K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/25
Louisiana State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
39%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/21
University of New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
59%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/25
Louisiana Tech University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
50%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
32%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
946/18
Southern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
38%
Student body
11K
Southeastern Louisiana University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
29%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
930/17
Grambling State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
54%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/22
University of Louisiana at Monroe’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
42%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/22
McNeese State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
50%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/21
Nicholls State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
44%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1054/20
Northwestern State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
19%
Student body
2K
Southern University at New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
27%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
970/20
Louisiana State University of Alexandria’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
38%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
Louisiana State University Shreveport’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
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.