McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA · Public · Small city · MSU · McNeese
Public institution in Lake Charles, LA · 4,846 undergraduates · 68% acceptance rate · $46,453 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 13%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 20%Average net price
- Top 21%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 23%Cost of attendance
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $11,257402nd cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $8,460417th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $9,960263rd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $21,168447th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,000990th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,4531,278th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,7131,307th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 52.0%1,072nd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 70.8%1,198th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 67.5%547th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1080760th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- 22604th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 4,846503rd largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 18.0:11,696th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 31.1%1,126th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 127 mi (IAH)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 32 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering, GeneralEngineering | bachelors | $63,005 | $69,338 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $61,165 | $58,104 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $55,512 | $47,260 |
| Engineering Technology, GeneralEngineering Technology | bachelors | $52,107 | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $50,105 | $49,136 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | $45,852 | $46,673 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $41,565 | $42,123 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $39,228 | $40,295 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $38,721 | $38,829 |
| History | bachelors | $38,289 | $39,729 |
| MarketingBusiness | bachelors | $37,208 | $35,954 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $35,740 | $32,806 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1939source
- Athletic nickname: "Cowgirls"source
- Competes in Southland Conferencesource
- School colors: #00529B and #FFD204source
- Mascot: Rowdysource
- Motto: "Excellence With A Personal Touch"source
- Campus size: about 121 acressource
- Formerly known as "Lake Charles Junior College" (1939–1940)source
- Formerly known as "John McNeese Junior College" (1940–1950)source
- Formerly known as "McNeese State College" (1950–1970)source
- Athletic conference: FCSsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Battle of the Border (since 1951)source
- Football rivalry: McNeese–Northwestern State (since 1951)source
- Plays for the "50 Pound Iron Pot" (since 1994)source
- Plays for the "Cajun Crown" (since 1951)source
- Fight song: ""On McNeese""source
- Notable alum: Joe Dumarssource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $4,456,342 (M $2,677,169 · W $1,779,173)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Beach Volleyball
- Football
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to McNeese State University’s 4,846 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In LA
- University of Louisiana at MonroeMonroe, LA · 4,891 undergrads
- Nicholls State UniversityThibodaux, LA · 4,772 undergrads
- University of New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · 4,479 undergrads
- Louisiana State University-AlexandriaAlexandria, LA · 4,414 undergrads
- Southern University and A & M CollegeBaton Rouge, LA · 5,323 undergrads
- Grambling State UniversityGrambling, LA · 4,144 undergrads
Elsewhere
- SUNY OneontaOneonta, NY · 4,820 undergrads
- University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · 4,799 undergrads
- Ana G. Mendez UniversityOrlando, FL · 4,897 undergrads
- Trinity Valley Community CollegeAthens, TX · 4,793 undergrads
- University of Massachusetts GlobalIrvine, CA · 4,902 undergrads
- Virginia State UniversityPetersburg, VA · 4,787 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitemcneese.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 159717)
- Compare colleges in LARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in LouisianaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with University of Louisiana at MonroeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: McNeese State University vs University of Louisiana at MonroeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.