A public R1 land-grant flagship in Baton Rouge, LA, admitting 73.33% of applicants with SEC Tiger football, petrochemical industry access, and one of the most distinctive college-town cultures in the South.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College is a public R1 land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded in 1853 as the flagship institution of the Louisiana State University System. It enrolls approximately 28,921 undergraduates and 5,505 graduate students across fourteen colleges and schools, including the E.J. Ourso College of Business, the Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management, the College of Engineering, the Manship School of Mass Communication, the LSU Law School, the Paul M.
Hebert Law Center, and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Business, engineering, social sciences, biological sciences, and communications account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Louisiana State University is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Louisiana State University is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. LSU is a member of the Association of American Universities and holds R1 Carnegie Classification for doctoral research activity.
Official website: lsu.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Louisiana State University scores 75.03 overall, rated Good. Outcomes (78.00) reflects a 68.81% six-year graduation rate and 84.38% first-year retention, both below the peer average for a selective public flagship. Value scores 70.83, driven by ten-year earnings of $61,251 relative to an average net price of $19,151. Selectivity scores 41.53, reflecting a 73.33% admit rate. All scores use verified federal data only.
Louisiana State University admits 73.33% of applicants, making it one of the more accessible SEC and R1 flagship universities. LSU is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. LSU uses the Common App. The priority deadline for housing and merit scholarship consideration is November 15; the regular decision deadline is April 15.
Some programs within LSU, including the College of Engineering and the E.J. Ourso College of Business's selective programs, have separate admission criteria or competitive prerequisites. Louisiana residents who qualify for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) state scholarship should review the academic eligibility requirements, as TOPS provides significant tuition coverage for qualifying Louisiana residents.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Louisiana State University charges $11,954 in in-state tuition and $29,754 in out-of-state tuition, plus $14,148 in room and board, bringing the estimated in-state total cost of attendance to approximately $30,822 before aid. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $19,151. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $13,056. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $14,891.
For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $22,544. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $28,033. Louisiana residents may qualify for the TOPS scholarship, a state merit-based program that covers in-state tuition for qualifying students. The federal loan rate of 29.90% and median debt of $20,500 are in the moderate range for a public flagship.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Louisiana State University completes a majority of students it enrolls, though completion rates are below the average for selective public flagships. The six-year graduation rate is 68.81% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students, among the lower rates in this peer group. First-year retention stands at 84.38%, also below the peer average. The federal loan rate of 29.90% and median debt of $20,500 are moderate. The below-average graduation and retention rates reflect some attrition, particularly in engineering and sciences, and Louisiana's historically lower high school preparation rates relative to peer states.
Louisiana State University graduates enter careers in energy, engineering, business, law, healthcare, and the sciences, primarily in Louisiana, Texas, and across the Gulf South. Median earnings are $46,069 six years after first enrolling and $61,251 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 82.45% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate.
Louisiana's economy is anchored by the petrochemical and energy industry (ExxonMobil, Shell, Dow Chemical, and others have major Baton Rouge and Lake Charles operations), agriculture, healthcare, and maritime industries. The LSU Petroleum Engineering program is consistently ranked among the top nationally, reflecting direct demand from the Gulf Coast energy sector. Houston, Texas, approximately 270 miles west of Baton Rouge, provides the largest energy industry employment market in the country and is accessible to LSU graduates in engineering, geology, and business.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Louisiana State University enrolls approximately 28,921 undergraduates on its main campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the state capital, on the banks of the Mississippi River. White students account for 57.46% of undergraduates; Black students 20.65%, Hispanic 8.18%, and Asian 4.60%. Approximately 22.24% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 23.19% are first-generation college students. Baton Rouge is a mid-size city of approximately 230,000 with heavy petrochemical industry presence along the Mississippi; it is approximately 80 miles northwest of New Orleans.
LSU's campus is among the most beautiful in the South, featuring a mix of Italian Renaissance architecture, live oaks, and the signature Tiger Stadium. SEC football in Tiger Stadium (102,321 capacity), known as Death Valley, is one of the defining features of LSU campus culture, particularly the Saturday night home games that draw national attention.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 202 distinct programs across 28 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Louisiana State University operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large public research universities. 71.99% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, below the peer average for a flagship. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $14,148 per year. The endowment stands at approximately $893 million.
LSU has research strengths in coastal science and engineering (LSU's Coastal Studies Institute addresses Louisiana's significant land loss issues), petroleum engineering, agriculture, and veterinary medicine. The Manship School of Mass Communication is among the most respected journalism schools in the South, and LSU Law is the leading law school in Louisiana.
1,371 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 398 | 29% | $141,677 |
| Associate Professors | 327 | 24% | $102,740 |
| Assistant Professors | 304 | 22% | $92,900 |
| Instructors | 304 | 22% | $57,118 |
| Lecturers | 38 | 3% | $86,027 |
Louisiana State University's defining strengths are its UCD 75.03 Good score, accessible admit rate (73.33%), TOPS scholarship support for Louisiana residents, the SEC flagship experience including Death Valley football, and direct pathways into the Gulf Coast energy and petrochemical industry for engineering and geology graduates. UCD 75.03 Good.
The considerations: the 68.81% six-year graduation rate and 84.38% first-year retention are below the peer average; the 71.99% full-time faculty rate is below the flagship norm; the $19,151 average net price is among the higher rates for a public flagship without a particularly strong merit aid system; and Louisiana's economic growth has been slower than peer Sun Belt states. Best fit for Louisiana residents, particularly those who qualify for TOPS scholarship support, who want a flagship SEC research university with strong energy engineering programs, a distinctive South Louisiana cultural environment, and access to the Gulf Coast petrochemical industry.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about LSU: how the TOPS scholarship works, what Death Valley game days are like, how the energy industry connection works for engineering graduates, and how LSU compares to Tulane.
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