Southern University at New Orleans is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,055 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Fair
50/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes2
Value33
Affordability74
Selectivity24
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Southern University at New Orleans admits 78.9% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
78.9%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
820 – 1050
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
15 – 20
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Southern University at New Orleans is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Stable ↓
0.1 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $14,810 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$8,054
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$16,954
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,337
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,337
Books & Supplies
$1,353
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$6,167
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,167
Total Cost of Attendance
$23,905
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$7,32925%percentile
$31,000Medianpercentile
$33,75075%percentile
$45,94190%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $20,214
↓ $10,786
No Pell $12,846
↓ $18,154
Dependent students $16,000
↓ $15,000
Independent students $24,022
↓ $6,978
Female students $20,166
↓ $10,834
Male students $18,250
↓ $12,750
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $11,250, less than completers ($31,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
36% of students who start here finish within six years, and 50% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
36%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
50%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $34,042 a year, below the national median. Weigh that against the cost above before taking on debt here. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$34,042
Earning > $25K
56%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$29,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$36,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $6,100, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
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.
Declining: debt management worsening over time ↓
13.4 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 60% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,055 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 50% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
1,055
Part-Time
15%
First-Generation
50%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Black 89.7%946
Other 3.5%37
Hispanic 2.9%31
White 2.4%25
International 1.3%14
Asian 0.1%1
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Southern University at New Orleans. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Southern University at New Orleans offers
a varied set of programs:
20 distinct programs across
13 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.
There are 13 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
13:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$9,693
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$3.3M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$63,311
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
86 instructional faculty across 4 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
21
24%
$76,731
Associate Professors
32
37%
$60,998
Assistant Professors
26
30%
$56,565
Instructors
7
8%
$55,476
Pros & Cons of Southern University at New Orleans
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southern University at New Orleans is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Below-average post-graduation earnings
Higher than typical student debt at graduation
Best for:
Based on the data, Southern University at New Orleans is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern University at New Orleans
The questions families ask most about Southern University at New Orleans, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Southern University at New Orleans hard to get into?
Not especially. Southern University at New Orleans admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 78.9%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern University at New Orleans?
78.9% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Southern University at New Orleans?
Aim for 1050 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 820 and 1050 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Southern University at New Orleans?
Aim for 20 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 15 and 20 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Southern University at New Orleans cost?
Budget around $14,810 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southern University at New Orleans worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $34,042 a year against a net price of $14,810, about 2.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Southern University at New Orleans known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Psychology, Social Work. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Southern University at New Orleans graduates earn?
About $34,042 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southern University at New Orleans accredited?
Yes. Southern University at New Orleans is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Southern University at New Orleans?
1,055 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southern University at New Orleans?
36% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Southern University at New Orleans a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Southern University at New Orleans located?
Southern University at New Orleans is located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
What programs does Southern University at New Orleans offer?
20 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Psychology, Social Work. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southern University at New Orleans?
13 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Louisiana
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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