Private nonprofit · University

Dillard University

New Orleans, Louisiana · Large city

#3 most selective in Louisiana
41.9%
Admit rate
$22,094
Avg net price
43%
Graduation rate
$39,196
Median earnings

Dillard University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New Orleans, Louisiana (large city setting), enrolling 1,063 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,063 undergradsLarge citySelective · 42% admitNAIA Division INear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Dillard University's admitted students.

Admit rate
41.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
968–1202
Avg GPA (est.)
3.12

Enter a test score to see where you land against Dillard University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Dillard University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land traditionally inhabited by the Chitimacha people. New Orleans operates one of the world's largest and busiest ports and metropolitan New Orleans is a center of maritime industry. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) · major hub

How Dillard University compares

Selectivity41.9%

More selective than 88% · #3 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average1050

Higher than 16%

Graduation rate43%

Higher than 28% · #17 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention78%

Higher than 56%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,196

Higher than 12% · #26 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$22,094

Cheaper than 40% · #21 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$31,000

Lower than 3%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment1,063

Larger than 39%

Percentiles compare Dillard University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Louisiana.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,075students
  • Undergraduate1,06399%
  • Graduate121%

Undergraduates by gender

1,063undergrads
  • Women77973%
  • Men28427%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.7%
  • Black88%
  • Hispanic1.1%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,063
Graduate enrollment
12
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
70%
First-generation students
35%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$23,449
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,439
Endowment
$102,201,663

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 248 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana54%
  • Other U.S. states46%

A regional draw: about 54% of first-years come from Louisiana, the rest from elsewhere.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
41.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
968–1202
SAT average
1050
SAT reading
480–640
SAT math
488–562
ACT composite
18–22
Average GPA (estimated)
3.12

Cost

In-state tuition
$23,918
Room & board
$13,543
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$39,202
Average net price
$22,094

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
43%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$28,507
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$39,196
Median debt at graduation
$31,000
Students with federal loans
79%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
29%
Low-income (Pell)
46%
First-generation
43%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
889
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
84%
Housing charge (year)
$6,608
Meal plan (year)
$5,178
Application fee
$40
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
231 (124 men · 107 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (6)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)84
Baseball55
Basketball30
Tennis24
Softball19
Volleyball19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
5.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,080 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

6.3reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
2.3
Rape
1.0
Fondling
1.0
Burglary
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$19,819
$30–48k
$21,094
$48–75k
$23,224
$75–110k
$26,032
$110k+
$27,019

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$104,583

$23,224/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,943
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Dillard University itself, averaging $10,943, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 331 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$39,196
Typical debt at graduation
$31,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
79%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$39,096
Men
$39,247

Men out-earn women by $151 (0%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
91°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
60.1″
Annual snow
0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, New Orleans Lakefront AP, LA US station (4.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Dillard University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Dillard University side by side →

Colleges near Dillard University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.