Public · University

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, Louisiana · Small city

78.3%
Admit rate
$12,493
Avg net price
47%
Graduation rate
$46,453
Median earnings

McNeese State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lake Charles, Louisiana (small city setting), enrolling 5,005 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 5,005 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southland Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
78.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
940–1198
Avg GPA (est.)
3.14

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

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

About Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lake Charles is the fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on the namesake lake, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. The Great Fire of April 1910 devastated much of the city. Lake Charles has a Creole and Cajun culture because of its location in Southwest Louisiana—an extension of Acadiana. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
28 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Lake Charles (LCH)

How McNeese State University compares

Selectivity78.3%

More selective than 47% · #12 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average1087

Higher than 24%

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 34% · #13 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention68%

Higher than 26%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,453

Higher than 28% · #20 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$12,493

Cheaper than 83% · #7 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$23,000

Lower than 53%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment5,005

Larger than 78%

Percentiles compare McNeese 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

5,578students
  • Undergraduate5,00590%
  • Graduate57310%

Undergraduates by gender

5,005undergrads
  • Women3,18964%
  • Men1,81636%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White61%
  • Black19%
  • Hispanic5.0%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,005
Graduate enrollment
573
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$35,342
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$68,319
Endowment
$20,920,613

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 1,063 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana85%
  • Other U.S. states9.9%
  • International5.0%

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

5% 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
78.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
940–1198
SAT average
1087
SAT reading
490–610
SAT math
450–588
ACT composite
18–23
Average GPA (estimated)
3.14

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,489
Out-of-state tuition
$9,989
Room & board
$10,644
Books & supplies
$1,353
Total cost of attendance
$22,810
Average net price
$12,493

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)
47%
Graduated on time (4 years)
25%
First-year retention
68%
Transferred to another college
29%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,713
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,453
Median debt at graduation
$23,000
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
66%

About 22% 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
25%
Low-income (Pell)
33%
First-generation
32%

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
1,037
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
21%
Housing charge (year)
$6,150
Meal plan (year)
$4,446
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southland Conference
Varsity athletes
472 (271 men · 201 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)181
Football117
Baseball41
Soccer36
Basketball30
Softball25
Volleyball21
Beach Volleyball13
Tennis8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
46

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,241 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.

16reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year15 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
14
Rape
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.0

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
$10,482
$30–48k
$11,067
$48–75k
$11,640
$75–110k
$16,190
$110k+
$18,250

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
$54,596

$11,640/year × about 4.7 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.

40%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,590
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 40% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,590. 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 1,005 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)
$46,453
Typical debt at graduation
$23,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 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
$41,991
Men
$58,852

Men out-earn women by $16,861 (40%) 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
43°F
Annual rain
59.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lake Charles, LA US station (3.7 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 McNeese State University

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

Colleges near McNeese 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.