The Most Selective Colleges in Louisiana
Every eligible Louisiana four-year that reports an admission rate, ranked hardest to get into first and easiest last — not a prestige Top 25. Selectivity here is the published rate, not a magazine composite.
Ranked by acceptance rate · 21 of 27 Louisiana institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking · Compiled 2026-09-01
- 1Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA · Private14.6%Compare nearby
- 2Grambling State UniversityGrambling, LA · Public23.7%Compare nearby
- 3Dillard UniversityNew Orleans, LA · Private40.5%Compare nearby
- 4Southern University and A & M CollegeBaton Rouge, LA · Public49.9%Compare nearby
- 5Centenary College of LouisianaShreveport, LA · Private54.4%Compare nearby
- 6Southern University at New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · Public60.2%Compare nearby
- 7University of New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · Public66.8%Compare nearby
- 8McNeese State UniversityLake Charles, LA · Public67.5%Compare nearby
- 9Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA · Public72.6%Compare nearby
- 10Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA · Public74.0%Compare nearby
- 11Xavier University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA · Private74.5%Compare nearby
- 12University of Louisiana at MonroeMonroe, LA · Public74.6%Compare nearby
- 13Louisiana State University-ShreveportShreveport, LA · Public82.7%Compare nearby
- 14Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady UniversityBaton Rouge, LA · Private82.9%Compare nearby
- 15Louisiana Christian UniversityPineville, LA · Private83.8%Compare nearby
- 16Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · Private87.7%Compare nearby
- 17University of Louisiana at LafayetteLafayette, LA · Public88.8%Compare nearby
- 18Louisiana State University-AlexandriaAlexandria, LA · Public92.6%Compare nearby
- 19Northwestern State University of LouisianaNatchitoches, LA · Public93.7%Compare nearby
- 20Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · Public94.3%Compare nearby
- 21Nicholls State UniversityThibodaux, LA · Public96.0%Compare nearby
How this list was built
- Measure
- Acceptance rate — sorted lowest to highest
- Source variable
ADM_RATE- Dataset
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most-Recent-Cohorts-Institution (05-19-2025 release)
- Louisiana institutions in this universe (27 schools).
- Louisiana four-year main campuses only. Rank order is published admission rate; on an exact tie, higher SAT average ranks above, and missing SAT does not drop a school. SAT is not shown because it is not the ranked measure. Schools without a published ADM_RATE are omitted rather than estimated.
- Institutions enrolling fewer than 500 undergraduates are excluded — the same size floor as the national selectivity list — even when they report an admission rate. That cut is not a median-stability adjustment.
- 21 of 27 Louisiana institutions in this universe qualify for this ranking (report the measure and pass any enrollment floor); the rest are omitted rather than estimated.
A single measure is a narrow way to judge a college. Read this alongside the others, and see the methodology for what these figures do and do not capture.
Keep exploring
- Re-rank with your weightsRe-score with your weights, pre-filtered to LA
- Showdown: Tulane University of Louisiana vs Grambling State UniversityHigher-or-lower on Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Live leaderboardReshuffle Top 10–50 on one Scorecard measure
- Explore games & mapsShowdown, Name That College, sports, and more lists
- Sports at Tulane University of LouisianaEADA programs for the #1 school on this list
Keep going
The Most Selective Colleges in America
Lowest share of applicants admitted. Selectivity measures demand and class size, not teaching quality.
Colleges with the Highest SAT Averages
Average SAT score of enrolled students. Reported by fewer than half of institutions as test-optional admissions has spread.
Colleges That Admit Nearly Everyone
Open and near-open admission four-year institutions, ranked by the share of applicants accepted.