Best Small Colleges in Louisiana 2025
Small colleges in Louisiana are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
Key Takeaways
- Many of the best small colleges in Louisiana emphasize community involvement, offering students opportunities for service learning, internships, and partnerships with local organizations, enriching their educational experience and fostering civic responsibility.
- With smaller class sizes, the best small colleges in Louisiana provide individualized attention, fostering close relationships between students and faculty, which enhances academic success and mentorship opportunities.
- The colleges in our ranking offer programs that deeply engage with Louisiana’s rich cultural heritage, including courses and activities centered around Creole and Cajun traditions, music, and cuisine, providing students with unique cultural experiences.
Best Small Colleges in Louisiana in 2025
2025 Ranking Update
Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.
In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best small colleges in Louisiana saw a fair amount of movement. Dillard University gained the second ranking position as the university is implementing several enhancements. A significant development is the construction of a new 200-bed residence hall at 4141 Norman Mayer Avenue, less than a mile from campus. This facility will feature modern living spaces and commercial retail areas on the first floor, aiming to improve student housing options and strengthen community engagement.
Additionally, Dillard has launched a Master of Science in Nursing program, the first master’s degree in the university’s 153-year history, with concentrations in education, entrepreneurship, and administration, providing advanced educational opportunities for students pursuing careers in nursing.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Louisiana is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 9 small colleges in Louisiana. The list below of the best small colleges in Louisiana. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Best Small Colleges in Louisiana
- #1 Best Christian Colleges in Louisiana 2025 #2 Best Private Colleges in Louisiana 2024 #4 Best Research Universities in Louisiana 2024 #4 Best Colleges in Louisiana 2025
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
67%
Student body
5K
Career Outlook for degree at Loyola University New Orleans
Cost of Degree: $47,240Expenses: $19,800Starting Salary: $52,300Cost Recoup Time: 19 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Loyola University New Orleans known for?
Loyola University New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Economics
- Law
- Communications
- Physics
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Literature
- Mathematics
- Business
- Political Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #8 Best Colleges and Universities by Academic Stewardship #17 Most Influential HBCUs in the US Ranked for 2024 #21 50 Best Christian Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities 2025 #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Louisiana 2025
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
48%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1082/22
Career Outlook for degree at Dillard University
Cost of Degree: $22,194Expenses: $19,010Starting Salary: $37,900Cost Recoup Time: 17 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Dillard University known for?
Dillard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Nursing
- Sociology
- Physics
- Communications
- Literature
- Political Science
- Mathematics
- Medical
- Chemistry
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
- #11 Most Influential HBCUs in the US Ranked for 2024 #3 Best Private Colleges in Louisiana 2024 #3 Best Christian Colleges in Louisiana 2025 #4 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Louisiana 2025
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
51%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
Career Outlook for degree at Xavier University of Louisiana
Cost of Degree: $27,868Expenses: $13,886Starting Salary: $64,500Cost Recoup Time: 12 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Xavier University of Louisiana known for?
Xavier University of Louisiana’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Communications
- Political Science
- Mathematics
- History
- Computer Science
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Sociology
- Social Work
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Louisiana 2025 #7 Best Public Colleges in Louisiana 2024 #8 Most Affordable Colleges in Louisiana 2024 #9 Best Grad Schools in Louisiana 2024
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
42%
Graduation
37%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
915/17
Career Outlook for degree at Grambling State University
Cost of Degree: $7,683Expenses: $17,980Starting Salary: $32,800Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Grambling State University known for?
Grambling State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- History
- Nursing
- Communications
- Mathematics
- Business
- Education
- Sociology
- Literature
- Chemistry
Most Influential Alumni
- #4 Best Christian Colleges in Louisiana 2025 #5 Best Private Colleges in Louisiana 2024 #8 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Louisiana 2025
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
60%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1170/24
Career Outlook for degree at Centenary College of Louisiana
Cost of Degree: $40,000Expenses: $20,960Starting Salary: $52,500Cost Recoup Time: 18 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Centenary College of Louisiana known for?
Centenary College of Louisiana’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Communications
- Mathematics
- History
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Psychology
- Education
- Earth Sciences
Most Influential Alumni
- #10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Louisiana 2025 #5 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Social Work Degrees #11 Best Colleges and Universities for Criminal Justice Degrees 2025 #23 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
94%
Graduation
17%
Student body
3K
Career Outlook for degree at Southern University at New Orleans
Cost of Degree: $7,490Expenses: $17,564Starting Salary: $32,100Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Southern University at New Orleans known for?
Southern University at New Orleans’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
31%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1010/19
Career Outlook for degree at Louisiana State University of Alexandria
Cost of Degree: $7,050Expenses: $14,130Starting Salary: $36,300Cost Recoup Time: 11 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Louisiana State University of Alexandria known for?
Louisiana State University of Alexandria’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
36%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/20
Career Outlook for degree at Louisiana Christian University
Cost of Degree: $19,750Expenses: $14,726Starting Salary: $48,300Cost Recoup Time: 13 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salaryWhat is Louisiana Christian University known for?
Louisiana Christian University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Religious Studies
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Criminal Justice
- Literature
- Social Work
- Nursing
- Law
- Psychology
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
36%
Student body
2K
Career Outlook for degree at University of Holy Cross
Cost of Degree: $16,160Expenses: $17,390Starting Salary: $40,700Cost Recoup Time: 14 yearsPaid back at 15% of annual salary
Louisiana’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest
2021 Ranking Archive
Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 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.