Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Louisiana State University Featured Rankings
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Louisiana 2026
- #1 Best Online MBAs Louisiana
- #1 Louisiana's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Louisiana's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Best Online Associate Degree Programs in Louisiana
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Louisiana
- #1 Best Public Colleges in Louisiana 2026
- #2 Best Colleges in Louisiana
- #2 Best Research Universities in Louisiana 2026
- #2 Best Grad Schools in Louisiana 2026
- #3 Best Online Sociology PhD Degree Programs
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #8 Most Affordable Online Sociology Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs)
- #9 The Most Influential Colleges in Baseball Today
- #9 Online Bachelor's in Construction Management
- #14 Best Online Colleges for Veterans
- #14 The Most Influential Colleges in Track & Field Today
- #15 Best Online One Year MBAs
- #18 The Most Influential Colleges in Football Today
About Louisiana State University
In brief
Louisiana State University (LSU), in Baton Rouge, was founded in 1860. Its 14 schools and colleges offer some 330 degree programs. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #100 in the United States and #289 in the world. It admitted 73.3% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1260 and a median ACT score of 27.
Its most popular programs are business administration, engineering, and education, and it is also known for theater, French, and landscape architecture.
Where LSU’s influence is strongest
LSU’s influence is led by law, where it ranks in the US top 50. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Law: #46 in the US (#147 in the world)
- Mathematics: #65
- Earth sciences: #70
- Political science: #73
- Physics: #74
Its highest-ranked specialties in our data are:
- #4 in the US: environmental biology
- #5: civil law
- #9: mathematical finance and environmental economics
By comparison, LSU sits further back in sociology (#135), philosophy (#144), and religious studies (#215).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
LSU-connected figures include the mathematician John B. Conway, the historian Stephen Ambrose, the actor Joanne Woodward, the composer Bill Conti, the game designer Will Wright, the political strategists James Carville and Donna Brazile, Senator Russell B. Long, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Our full lists of LSU’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is LSU hard to get into? No. It admitted 73.3% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 600–680 on the SAT reading section and 580–660 on math.
What does LSU cost after financial aid? Tuition is $12,551 for Louisiana residents and $29,228 for out-of-state students in 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $18,807 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $14,670 for incomes below $30,000 to $27,239 for incomes above $110,000.
How do LSU graduates do? 68.0% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 85% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $64,338.
What is LSU best known for academically? By our influence data: law, mathematics, and the earth sciences, plus environmental biology, where it ranks fourth in the country.
According to Wikipedia, Louisiana State University is an American public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy. The current LSU main campus was dedicated in 1926, consists of more than 250 buildings constructed in the style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and the main campus historic district occupies a plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River.
Louisiana State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42,558 | 73% | 85% | 68% | 1260 | 27 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Louisiana State University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $12,551 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $14,670 |
| 30K - 48K | $15,598 |
| 48K - 75K | $18,807 |
| 75K - 110K | $23,421 |
| 110K+ | $27,239 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Louisiana State University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Louisiana State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $64,338 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Louisiana State University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 44,241 | 35,589 | 8,652 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Louisiana State University?
Louisiana State University is located at 156 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2750.
How Safe is Louisiana State University?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Louisiana State University publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, Louisiana State University has a violent crime rate of 0.14% and a property crime rate of 0.40%. Baton Rouge has a violent crime rate of 0.30% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.76%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Louisiana State University Known For?
Louisiana State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Law
- Mathematics
- Earth Sciences
- Political Science
- Physics
- History
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Business
- Communications
- Criminal Justice
- Biology
- Social Work
- Medical
- Anthropology
- Education
- Chemistry
- Literature
- Engineering
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Philosophy
Louisiana State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Louisiana State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Louisiana State University ranks #46 in the U.S. and #147 worldwide for influence in Law.
Louisiana State University ranks #65 in the U.S. and #262 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #70 in the U.S. and #256 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #73 in the U.S. and #251 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #74 in the U.S. and #307 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #75 in the U.S. and #185 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #85 in the U.S. and #282 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #85 in the U.S. and #321 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #87 in the U.S. and #218 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #89 in the U.S. and #283 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #92 in the U.S. and #129 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #99 in the U.S. and #299 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #106 in the U.S. and #219 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #109 in the U.S. and #306 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #109 in the U.S. and #294 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #113 in the U.S. and #382 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #114 in the U.S. and #519 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #116 in the U.S. and #300 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #116 in the U.S. and #490 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #131 in the U.S. and #294 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #135 in the U.S. and #461 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesLouisiana State University ranks #144 in the U.S. and #475 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWho Are Louisiana State University's Most Influential Alumni?
Louisiana State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Law, and Business. Here are some of Louisiana State University's most famous alumni:
- Michael I. Jordan
- An American computer scientist, University of California, Berkeley.
- James Carville
- An American political consultant.
- Cleanth Brooks
- An American literary critic and academic.
- Joseph E. LeDoux
- An American neuroscientist.
- Donna Brazile
- An American author, educator, and political activist and strategist .
- Hubert Humphrey
- A Vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969.
- J. Lawton Collins
- A United States Army general.
- Claire Lee Chennault
- A US military aviator, fl. World War II.
- Nic Pizzolatto
- An American writer.
- Don Lemon
- An American journalist and news anchor.
- Stephan Kinsella
- An American lawyer.
- Jim A. Kuypers
- An American media critic.
Who Are Louisiana State University's Most Influential Faculty?
Louisiana State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Criminal Justice, Law, and Business. Here are some of Louisiana State University's most famous faculty:
- Thomas Sterling
- An American computer programmer.
- Tabetha S. Boyajian
- An American astronomer.
- Gary S. Grest
- An American physicist.
- Mel Tucker
- An American football player and coach .
- Andrew Ervin
- An American author, critic and editor.
- Prosanta Chakrabarty
- An American ichthyologist.
- Mark Wilde
- A Researcher.
- Barbara Ercolano
- A Researcher.
- Mary Pannbacker
- A Speech-language pathologist and professor.
- Douglas Patrick Harrison
- An American chemical engineer.
- Brian R. Silliman
- A Conservation Biology researcher.
- Tiffany Stewart
- A Researcher.
