College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.
Southern University at New Orleans: Southern University at New Orleans
Photo: Augustus06, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

Southern University at New Orleans

New Orleans, LA · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid About $15,000 a year

Median debt at graduation: $31,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Academic Excellence

C+Academic Excellence: C+ (grade C+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Solid
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.13%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.52%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 944 · ACT 17.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.13 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$5,792

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average paid by families who received aid, by income. Families who get no aid pay the full cost of attendance: $23,905 a year.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000About $15,000
$75,001–$110,000About $19,000

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
1,773
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 29% · Women 71%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
50%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
17%
Total students2,059
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
About $15,000
Cost of attendance (per year)$23,905
Median federal debt at graduation$31,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
13%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
36%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
34%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
54%
First-year retention52%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$34,042
Admission rate79%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$25
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $1,113 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants42%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 820–1050ACT 15–20
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT944
SAT reading & writing410–540
SAT math410–510
ACT composite15–20
Test policyConsidered but not required

Value: Solid (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Social work$49,709
Family and human development$47,390
Health administration$44,788
Criminal justice$44,723
Biology$44,350
Liberal arts$44,226
Business administration$42,068
Psychology$39,139

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Counseling and mental health, Education (general), English, General studies, History, Information science, Information technology, Mathematics, Nursing, Public administration, Security science, Teacher education.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Criminal justice and security18%
Psychology15%
Business13%
Liberal arts and general studies10%
Public administration and social service9%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates15%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older33%
On-campus room and board (per year)$11,337
SportsNAIA · HBCU Athletic Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Students per faculty member13 to 1
Faculty who are full-time100%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$2,210IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 38% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline serviceLouis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)About 13 miles away · about 25 minutes by car
Town population371,853Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreNew OrleansAbout 7 miles away · about 20 minutes by car
Typical weather54°F in January · 84°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from New Orleans Lakefront Airport, LA

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Questions families ask

What is Southern University at New Orleans’s Compass Score?
Solid (grade C+). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Southern University at New Orleans cost after financial aid?
The average net price is about $15,000 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Southern University at New Orleans?
Southern University at New Orleans admitted 79% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Southern University at New Orleans’s graduates do?
13% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $34,042; the median federal debt at graduation is $31,000.

Ask the school

Something you want to know that isn’t on this page? Ask it here. We send it to the school, and their answer appears on this page. Your name is never shared.

Sign in to ask a question

Reviews

Personal experiences from signed-in readers. Reviews are moderated automatically and never change a school’s grades.

No reviews yet.

Sign in to write a review.

My rating and notes

Sign in or create a free account to rate this school privately, keep notes, and save it to your list.

About this school’s data
  • IPEDS unit ID 160630
  • Carnegie classification: Master's university (medium programs)
  • Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
  • Report an error or a newer source
  • Respond as this school

Colleges like this one

The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.

More in Louisiana · Louisiana rankings

0 school selectedCompare

What would it cost your family?

Pick your family’s yearly income. Each college then shows what families like yours paid on average after grants and scholarships (federal data).

Reach, Target or Likely?

Enter an SAT or ACT to sort every college in this search.

Will you get in?

Enter your SAT or ACT. We compare it with the middle range of students the college admitted.