Public · University

Nicholls State University

Thibodaux, Louisiana · Small city

90.8%
Admit rate
$12,947
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$45,454
Median earnings

Nicholls State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Thibodaux, Louisiana (small city setting), enrolling 4,737 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,737 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 91% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southland Conference

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
90.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
934–1196
Avg GPA (est.)
3.13

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

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

About Thibodaux, Louisiana

Thibodaux is a city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The colonists gradually began to import Africans in bondage as slaves to work on and develop rice and sugar cane plantations. The Roman Catholic patron saints of Thibodaux are Saint Valérie, an early Christian martyr, and Saint Vitalis of Milan, her husband, also a martyr. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
29 miles
Nearest airport
35 miles to Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) · major hub

How Nicholls State University compares

Selectivity90.8%

More selective than 22% · #17 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 48% · #8 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention77%

Higher than 51%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,454

Higher than 25% · #21 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$12,947

Cheaper than 81% · #8 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$22,675

Lower than 55%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment4,737

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Nicholls 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

5,262students
  • Undergraduate4,73790%
  • Graduate52510%

Undergraduates by gender

4,737undergrads
  • Women3,00763%
  • Men1,73037%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White64%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic6.6%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial9.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,737
Graduate enrollment
525
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$36,747
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$62,982
Endowment
$16,940,430

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 1,169 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana93%
  • Other U.S. states4.0%
  • International3.2%

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

3% 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
90.8%
Test scores
Required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
934–1196
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
472–608
SAT math
462–588
ACT composite
19–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.13

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,149
Out-of-state tuition
$9,242
Room & board
$11,412
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$23,481
Average net price
$12,947

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)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
30%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
24%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,829
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,454
Median debt at graduation
$22,675
Students with federal loans
38%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
74%

About 24% 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
30%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
38%

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
1,416
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$7,120
Meal plan (year)
$3,818
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southland Conference
Varsity athletes
480 (280 men · 200 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)142
Football131
Baseball47
Soccer36
Basketball33
Softball24
Volleyball21
Beach Volleyball18
Tennis16
Golf12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (6,043 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.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.3
Fondling
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
$10,714
$30–48k
$10,527
$48–75k
$12,139
$75–110k
$16,784
$110k+
$17,954

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
$56,692

$12,139/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.

54%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,556
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 54% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,556. 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 965 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)
$45,454
Typical debt at graduation
$22,675
Debt vs. one year's pay
50%
Out-earn a HS grad
61%

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
$41,091
Men
$55,005

Men out-earn women by $13,914 (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
92°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
71.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.38.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Thibodaux 4 SE, LA US station (3.2 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 Nicholls State University

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

Colleges near Nicholls 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.