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Cheapest Colleges in Louisiana

Sticker prices at the 22 four-year colleges we rank in Louisiana run from $7,050 to $68,678 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $61,628 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.

The 14 public colleges here charge a median of $8,677 a year, $1,264 (13%) below the national public median of $9,940. The 8 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $26,326, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.

Louisiana State University at Alexandria ranks first at $7,050, ahead of Louisiana State University-Shreveport ($7,518) and Grambling State University ($7,683).

How this list is built

A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.

Colleges considered
4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
  • Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
  • Main campus located in Louisiana
  • At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
  • A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
  • Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
  • This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Louisiana has 22
Data period
  • In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
  • Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
  • Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
  • Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
  • Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.

Read the full methodology

Showing all 22 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.

Table: Cheapest Colleges in Louisiana
1 Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Alexandria, LA
Public · 4-year
 $7,050$14,650$7,06535%5,632
2 Louisiana State University-Shreveport
Shreveport, LA
Public · 4-year
 $7,518$7,518$7,02235%2,153
3 Grambling State University
Grambling, LA
Public · 4-year
 $7,683$16,706$19,80934%4,164
4 Southern University at New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Public · 4-year
 $8,054$16,954$14,81016%1,055
5 Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA
Public · 4-year
 $8,149$9,242$12,94754%4,737
6 Southeastern Louisiana University
Hammond, LA
Public · 4-year
 $8,373$20,851$13,15445%9,514
7 McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA
Public · 4-year
 $8,489$9,989$12,49349%5,005
8 Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, LA
Public · 4-year
 $8,864$19,652$13,60644%5,519
9 University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Public · 4-year
 $9,172$14,008$12,38440%4,638
10 University of Louisiana at Monroe
Monroe, LA
Public · 4-year
 $9,190$21,290$13,46652%5,022
11 Southern University and A & M College
Baton Rouge, LA
Public · 4-year
 $9,922$17,272$20,07728%5,519
12 Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA
Public · 4-year
 $10,125$16,866$11,86461%8,312
13 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
Public · 4-year
 $10,418$24,146$13,53052%12,428
14 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, LA
Public · 4-year
 $11,954$28,631$19,15170%30,594
15 New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $12,468—$10,82951%865
16 Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Baton Rouge, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $18,310—$18,55249%821
17 Louisiana Christian University
Pineville, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $20,266—$13,11342%672
18 Dillard University
New Orleans, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $23,918—$22,09444%1,063
19 Xavier University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $28,733—$17,12749%2,628
20 Centenary College of Louisiana
Shreveport, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $41,200—$23,62458%685
21 Loyola University New Orleans
New Orleans, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $49,440—$23,69663%2,812
22 Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
Private nonprofit · 4-year
 $68,678—$39,94988%7,767

How to compare these colleges

Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Louisiana, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.

Guides worth reading first

More lists for Louisiana

Same list in nearby states

All 31 colleges in Louisiana See the national version of this ranking