Public · University

Grambling State University

Grambling, Louisiana · Distant town

#4 most selective in Louisiana
44.9%
Admit rate
$19,809
Avg net price
36%
Graduation rate
$41,109
Median earnings

Grambling State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Grambling, Louisiana (distant town setting), enrolling 4,164 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 4,164 undergradsDistant townSelective · 45% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
44.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
920–1080
Avg GPA
3.01

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

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

About Grambling, Louisiana

Grambling is a city in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The city is home to Grambling State University and is part of the Ruston micropolitan statistical area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
187 miles
Nearest airport
39 miles to Monroe (MLU)

How Grambling State University compares

Selectivity44.9%

More selective than 86% · #4 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average943

Higher than 3%

Graduation rate36%

Higher than 18% · #21 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention66%

Higher than 22%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,109

Higher than 16% · #25 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$19,809

Cheaper than 51% · #19 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$36,500

Lower than 1%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment4,164

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare Grambling State 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

5,001students
  • Undergraduate4,16483%
  • Graduate83717%

Undergraduates by gender

4,164undergrads
  • Women2,28655%
  • Men1,87845%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • Black87%
  • Hispanic1.8%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,164
Graduate enrollment
837
Student–faculty ratio
25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
75%
First-generation students
39%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$19,680
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$56,664
Endowment
$17,947,509

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

Admissions

Admission rate
44.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
920–1080
SAT average
943
SAT reading
490–570
SAT math
430–510
ACT composite
15–19
Average GPA
3.01

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,683
Out-of-state tuition
$16,706
Room & board
$10,990
Books & supplies
$1,800
Total cost of attendance
$25,367
Average net price
$19,809

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)
36%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
66%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$25,589
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,109
Median debt at graduation
$36,500
Students with federal loans
78%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
44%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
30%
Low-income (Pell)
24%
First-generation
23%

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
2,389
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
57%
Housing charge (year)
$5,548
Meal plan (year)
$4,050
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
450 (278 men · 172 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 (9)

Football154
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)120
Baseball40
Basketball39
Soccer32
Softball31
Volleyball19
Tennis8
Bowling7

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
14
Property offenses (2022–2024)
17

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,150 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.

10reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year5.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.3
Rape
2.7
Fondling
0.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Arson
0.7

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
$18,666
$30–48k
$19,007
$48–75k
$21,743
$75–110k
$24,525
$110k+
$25,310

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
$92,808

$21,743/year × about 4.3 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.

32%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,708
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,708. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 819 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)
$41,109
Typical debt at graduation
$36,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
89%
Out-earn a HS grad
35%

Typical debt would take roughly 8.9 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
$40,513
Men
$41,660

Men out-earn women by $1,147 (3%) 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
93°F
Winter low
35°F
Annual rain
55.6″
Annual snow
0.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ruston LA Tech, LA US station (3.8 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 Grambling State University

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

Colleges near Grambling State 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.