Public · University

Southern University and A & M College

Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city

#2 most selective in Louisiana
35.1%
Admit rate
$20,077
Avg net price
27%
Graduation rate
$43,371
Median earnings

Southern University and A & M College is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,519 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicMidsize · 5,519 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 35% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Southwestern Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southern University and A & M College's admitted students.

Admit rate
35.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
790–1020
Avg GPA (est.)
2.84

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southern University and A & M College's admitted students.

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

About Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Human habitation in the Baton Rouge area has been dated to 12000–6500 BC, based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, and Amite rivers. Earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period, from roughly the fourth millennium BC. Baton Rouge has an extensive park collection presided over by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge. The largest park is City Park near the Louisiana State University flagship campus. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
51 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Baton Rouge Metropolitan (BTR)

How Southern University and A & M College compares

Selectivity35.1%

More selective than 92% · #2 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average942

Higher than 2%

Graduation rate27%

Higher than 10% · #23 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention60%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,371

Higher than 20% · #22 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$20,077

Cheaper than 50% · #20 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$29,251

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment5,519

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare Southern University and A & M College 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

6,933students
  • Undergraduate5,51980%
  • Graduate1,41420%

Undergraduates by gender

5,519undergrads
  • Women3,51464%
  • Men2,00536%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White0.7%
  • Black94%
  • Hispanic1.3%
  • Other or multiracial3.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,519
Graduate enrollment
1,414
Student–faculty ratio
21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
68%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$23,466
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,615
Endowment
$13,402,004

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 1,711 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana64%
  • Other U.S. states36%

A regional draw: about 64% 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
35.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
790–1020
SAT average
942
SAT reading
410–530
SAT math
380–490
ACT composite
15–19
Average GPA (estimated)
2.84

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,922
Out-of-state tuition
$17,272
Room & board
$8,018
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$26,341
Average net price
$20,077

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)
27%
Graduated on time (4 years)
10%
First-year retention
60%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,033
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,371
Median debt at graduation
$29,251
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 17% 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
10%
Low-income (Pell)
25%
First-generation
24%

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
4,400
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
80%
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
447 (264 men · 183 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)127
Football122
Baseball54
Basketball32
Soccer30
Softball27
Volleyball21
Tennis14
Golf12
Bowling8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
22
Property offenses (2022–2024)
30

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,279 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.

17reported offenses a year
7.3 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
9.0
Aggravated assault
3.7
Rape
2.0
Fondling
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Statutory rape
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
$19,047
$30–48k
$19,395
$48–75k
$22,288
$75–110k
$25,292
$110k+
$26,069

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
$110,218

$22,288/year × about 4.9 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.

15%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,195
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 15% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,195. 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 1,636 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)
$43,371
Typical debt at graduation
$29,251
Debt vs. one year's pay
67%
Out-earn a HS grad
49%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.7 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
$40,250
Men
$46,845

Men out-earn women by $6,595 (16%) 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
42°F
Annual rain
61.9″
Annual snow
0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Baton Rouge Ryan AP, LA US station (2.7 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 Southern University and A & M College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern University and A & M College side by side →

Colleges near Southern University and A & M College

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.