Public · University

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, Louisiana · Midsize city

87.0%
Admit rate
$13,530
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$47,089
Median earnings

University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Lafayette, Louisiana (midsize city setting), enrolling 12,428 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 12,428 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Sun Belt Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Louisiana at Lafayette's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1120–1240
Avg GPA (est.)
3.46

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

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

About Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is a city in Louisiana and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish. French colonists founded the first European settlement, Petit Manchac, a trading post along the Vermilion River. The Lafayette metropolitan area has a large Louisiana Creole, Cajun, and substantial foreign-born population; an estimated 14,676 Lafayettiens were foreign-born residents in 2019. Additionally, more than 36% of foreigners came from Asia from 2014 to 2019. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Lafayette, LA
To the ocean
26 miles
Nearest airport
2 miles to Lafayette (LFT)

How University of Louisiana at Lafayette compares

Selectivity87.0%

More selective than 31% · #16 most selective of 23 in Louisiana

SAT average1219

Higher than 64%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 45% · #9 of 25 in Louisiana

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,089

Higher than 30% · #16 of 28 in Louisiana

Average net price$13,530

Cheaper than 78% · #12 cheapest of 26 in Louisiana

Median debt at graduation$22,902

Lower than 54%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 18%

Undergraduate enrollment12,428

Larger than 91%

Percentiles compare University of Louisiana at Lafayette 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

14,661students
  • Undergraduate12,42885%
  • Graduate2,23315%

Undergraduates by gender

12,428undergrads
  • Women7,66162%
  • Men4,76738%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black27%
  • Hispanic5.6%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial7.9%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
12,428
Graduate enrollment
2,233
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$41,648
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$80,001
Endowment
$177,999,227

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 3,064 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Louisiana96%
  • Other U.S. states2.6%
  • International1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Louisiana at Lafayette draws overwhelmingly from Louisiana.

1% 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
87.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1120–1240
SAT average
1219
SAT reading
570–630
SAT math
550–610
ACT composite
23–28
Average GPA (estimated)
3.46

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,418
Out-of-state tuition
$24,146
Room & board
$12,108
Books & supplies
$1,326
Total cost of attendance
$24,884
Average net price
$13,530

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)
53%
Graduated on time (4 years)
27%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,668
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,089
Median debt at graduation
$22,902
Students with federal loans
44%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
74%

About 26% 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
27%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
44%

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
3,678
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$7,418
Meal plan (year)
$4,570
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Sun Belt Conference
Varsity athletes
586 (350 men · 236 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)265
Football142
Baseball39
Soccer38
Basketball32
Softball25
Volleyball18
Tennis17
Golf10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
51

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (15,665 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.

20reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year17 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
14
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Rape
1.7
Fondling
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Arson
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
$11,157
$30–48k
$11,283
$48–75k
$13,692
$75–110k
$17,079
$110k+
$18,562

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
$64,828

$13,692/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.

59%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,663
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 59% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,663. 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 2,860 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)
$47,089
Typical debt at graduation
$22,902
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 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
$42,439
Men
$55,847

Men out-earn women by $13,408 (32%) 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
62.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.57.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lafayette Rgnl AP, LA US station (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 University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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

Colleges near University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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.