Public · University

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, Louisiana · Distant town

#4 graduation rate in Louisiana#5 best value in Louisiana
86.4%
Admit rate
$11,864
Avg net price
64%
Graduation rate
$52,279
Median earnings

Louisiana Tech University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Ruston, Louisiana (distant town setting), enrolling 8,312 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,312 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Conference USA

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
86.4%
SAT (mid 50%)
1100–1310
Avg GPA (est.)
3.40

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

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

About Ruston, Louisiana

Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. During the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, word soon reached the young parish near what is now Ruston, that the Vicksburg, Shreveport, and Pacific Railroad would begin to run across north Louisiana, linking the Deep South with the West (the current operator is Canadian Pacific Kansas City). Also there are shops downtown, chain restaurants in the city, and an eight-screen Celebrity Theater. Other university-based opportunities exist at Grambling (6 miles from Ruston) and Monroe (35 miles away). The Louisiana Tech University Arboretum interests many visitors. (Wikipedia)

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

How Louisiana Tech University compares

Selectivity86.4%

More selective than 32% · #15 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average1191

Higher than 56%

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 67% · #4 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention82%

Higher than 68%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,279

Higher than 45% · #9 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$11,864

Cheaper than 85% · #5 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$22,135

Lower than 58%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment8,312

Larger than 86%

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

Louisiana Tech University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

9,304students
  • Undergraduate8,31289%
  • Graduate99211%

Undergraduates by gender

8,312undergrads
  • Women4,04349%
  • Men4,26951%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White73%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic4.7%
  • Asian1.7%
  • Other or multiracial9.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,312
Graduate enrollment
992
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$45,710
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,593
Endowment
$99,176,307

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 2,263 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana84%
  • Other U.S. states13%
  • International2.4%

Most first-years stay in state — Louisiana Tech University draws overwhelmingly from Louisiana.

2% came from outside the U.S. 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
86.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1100–1310
SAT average
1191
SAT reading
550–630
SAT math
550–680
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.40

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,125
Out-of-state tuition
$16,866
Room & board
$9,618
Books & supplies
$1,632
Total cost of attendance
$24,280
Average net price
$11,864

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)
64%
Graduated on time (4 years)
44%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,903
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,279
Median debt at graduation
$22,135
Students with federal loans
27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
67%

About 19% 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
44%
Low-income (Pell)
39%
First-generation
39%

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
2,614
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
31%
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Conference USA
Varsity athletes
421 (248 men · 173 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 (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)145
Football112
Baseball40
Soccer29
Basketball27
Softball21
Volleyball20
Golf10
Tennis9
Bowling8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
21
Property offenses (2022–2024)
15

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (11,873 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.

12reported offenses a year
7.0 violent a year5.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.7
Rape
3.3
Fondling
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Murder
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
$7,676
$30–48k
$8,619
$48–75k
$11,146
$75–110k
$15,674
$110k+
$16,207

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
$49,653

$11,146/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.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,975
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 83% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,975. 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 1,764 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)
$52,279
Typical debt at graduation
$22,135
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$45,188
Men
$60,647

Men out-earn women by $15,459 (34%) 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 (1.3 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 Louisiana Tech University

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

Colleges near Louisiana Tech 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.