Southern University
Southern 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
Southern University Featured Rankings
About Southern University
According to Wikipedia, Southern University and A&M College is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university in Louisiana, a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the flagship institution of the Southern University System. Its campus encompasses 512 acres, with an agricultural experimental station on an additional 372-acre site, five miles north of the main campus on Scott's Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section of Baton Rouge.
Southern University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,221 | 35% | 60% | 28% | 905 | 17 |
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 Southern University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $9,958 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $18,614 |
| 30K - 48K | $16,350 |
| 48K - 75K | $18,195 |
| 75K - 110K | $23,454 |
| 110K+ | $26,328 |
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 Southern University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Southern University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $47,186 a year, and 91% 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.
Southern 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 9,246 | 7,305 | 1,941 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Southern University?
Southern University is located at P.O. Box 9374, Harding Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70813.
How Safe is Southern University?
Relative to its enrollment, Southern University has a violent crime rate of 0.04% and a property crime rate of 0.14%. Baton Rouge has a violent crime rate of 0.30% and a property 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 Southern University Known For?
Southern University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Nursing
- Mathematics
- Social Work
- Education
- Law
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- Criminal Justice
- Engineering
- History
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Medical
- Psychology
- Biology
- Literature
Southern University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Southern 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
Southern University ranks #66 in the U.S. and #138 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesSouthern University ranks #189 in the U.S. and #755 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesSouthern University ranks #235 in the U.S. and #545 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesSouthern University ranks #250 in the U.S. and #1022 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesSouthern University ranks #258 in the U.S. and #847 worldwide for influence in Law.
Southern University ranks #305 in the U.S. and #1088 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesSouthern University ranks #306 in the U.S. and #1202 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesSouthern University ranks #350 in the U.S. and #1823 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesSouthern University ranks #365 in the U.S. and #661 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesSouthern University ranks #372 in the U.S. and #2271 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesSouthern University ranks #375 in the U.S. and #1053 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesSouthern University ranks #444 in the U.S. and #1648 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesSouthern University ranks #481 in the U.S. and #2248 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesSouthern University ranks #488 in the U.S. and #1828 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesSouthern University ranks #548 in the U.S. and #1419 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesSouthern University ranks #666 in the U.S. and #2925 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesSouthern University ranks #681 in the U.S. and #2077 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWho Are Southern University's Most Influential Alumni?
Southern University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Nursing, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. Here are some of Southern University's most famous alumni:
- Lou Brock
- An American baseball player.
- Avery Johnson
- A Basketball player and coach.
- Jewel Prestage
- An American political scientist and activist.
- David Banner
- An American rap artist and hip hop producer from Mississippi.
- Lucius Barker
- An American political scientist.
- Common
- An American rapper and actor.
- Carla Cotwright Williams
- An African-American mathematician.
- Alvin Aubert
- An American poet.
- Shelby F. Lewis
- An American political scientist and African studies scholar.
- Robert Holmes
- An American football player .
- O'Neil Ray Collins
- An American mycologist .
- Saundra McGuire
- An American academic.
