Most Affordable Public Universities in Louisiana
State-run four-year universities, ranked by net price after aid. In-state students usually pay far less than the published out-of-state rate.
14 public universities in Louisiana are listed here, 14 of them reporting a net price. They run from $7,022 a year at Louisiana State University-Shreveport to $20,077 at Southern University and A & M College, with a middle of about $13,466.
The cheapest are Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Louisiana State University at Alexandria and Louisiana Tech University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Public universities in Louisiana, cheapest first · 14
Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.
- Louisiana State University-Shreveport
- Louisiana State University at Alexandria
- Louisiana Tech University
- University of New Orleans
- McNeese State University
- Nicholls State University
- Southeastern Louisiana University
- University of Louisiana at Monroe
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Northwestern State University of Louisiana
- Southern University at New Orleans
- Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
- Grambling State University
- Southern University and A & M College
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable public university in Louisiana?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Louisiana State University-Shreveport at about $7,022 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
- What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
- Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
- How much do public universities in Louisiana cost on average?
- Across the 14 public universities in Louisiana that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $13,466 a year after aid, running from $7,022 to $20,077.
- What does the Pell grant percentage mean?
- It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the public universities listed here it runs from 22% to 75%, with a middle of about 35%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.
Which of these actually fits you?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free