Public · University

Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana · Large city

78.9%
Admit rate
$14,810
Avg net price
13%
Graduation rate
$34,042
Median earnings

Southern University at New Orleans is a public bachelor's-granting institution in New Orleans, Louisiana (large city setting), enrolling 1,055 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

PublicSmall · 1,055 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 79% admitNAIA Division INear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southern University at New Orleans's admitted students.

Admit rate
78.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
820–1050
Avg GPA (est.)
2.76

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southern University at New Orleans's admitted students.

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

About New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land traditionally inhabited by the Chitimacha people. New Orleans operates one of the world's largest and busiest ports and metropolitan New Orleans is a center of maritime industry. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
13 miles to Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) · major hub

How Southern University at New Orleans compares

Selectivity78.9%

More selective than 46% · #13 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average944

Higher than 3%

Graduation rate13%

Higher than 3% · #24 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention52%

Higher than 7%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,042

Higher than 5% · #28 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$14,810

Cheaper than 74% · #14 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$31,000

Lower than 3%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,055

Larger than 39%

Percentiles compare Southern University at New Orleans 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

1,344students
  • Undergraduate1,05578%
  • Graduate28922%

Undergraduates by gender

1,055undergrads
  • Women76573%
  • Men29027%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.4%
  • Black90%
  • Hispanic2.9%
  • Other or multiracial4.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,055
Graduate enrollment
289
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
50%
Students over 25
33%
Median family income
$16,552
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$62,082
Endowment
$3,447,953

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 154 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana81%
  • Other U.S. states16%
  • International2.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Southern University at New Orleans 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
78.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
820–1050
SAT average
944
SAT reading
410–540
SAT math
410–510
ACT composite
15–20
Average GPA (estimated)
2.76

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,054
Out-of-state tuition
$16,954
Room & board
$11,337
Books & supplies
$1,353
Total cost of attendance
$23,905
Average net price
$14,810

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)
13%
Graduated on time (4 years)
4%
First-year retention
52%
Transferred to another college
40%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,148
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,042
Median debt at graduation
$31,000
Students with federal loans
39%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

About 9% 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
4%
Low-income (Pell)
31%
First-generation
30%

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
672
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
64%
Housing charge (year)
$7,100
Meal plan (year)
$3,240
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Varsity athletes
70 (50 men · 20 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 (3)

Baseball30
Basketball30
Volleyball10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,468 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
2.7 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.0
Rape
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
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
$14,771
$30–48k
$48–75k
$75–110k
$19,360
$110k+

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
$73,855

$14,771/year × about 5.0 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
$6,290
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 40% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,290. 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 124 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)
$34,042
Typical debt at graduation
$31,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
91%
Out-earn a HS grad
43%

Typical debt would take roughly 9.1 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
$33,540
Men
$36,749

Men out-earn women by $3,209 (10%) 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
91°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
60.1″
Annual snow
0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.36.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, New Orleans Lakefront AP, LA US station (1.9 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 at New Orleans

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern University at New Orleans side by side →

Colleges near Southern University at New Orleans

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.