University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlights the best programs.

Get Matched With Online Colleges

Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSUL) is a medium sized university located in Natchitoches, Louisiana, which is a smaller town south of Shreveport. The undergraduate student body is currently over 9,500 and the graduate student body is around 1,000 hard-working students. The undergraduates are pursuing degree options such as nursing, social science, social work, mathematics, and more. There are also over 40 online degree programs with bachelor's degrees in fields such as psychology, public safety, history, and criminal justice, among other options. Students can also complete an online associate degree in general studies.


Overview of Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSUL)


NSUL also supports a rich campus experience. The Wellness Recreation and Activity Center is the center of after-class activities. There, students enjoy the two gymnasiums, three racquetball courts, exercise studio spaces, weight training equipment, and intramural opportunities. Students love the friendly competition in football, softball, basketball, and volleyball, among other sports. They also enjoy hitting the newly renovated disc golf course, which is integrated into the campus layout.

Students can also enjoy the fellowship and growth provided through the various student organizations. There is a Greek society on campus and tons of clubs and organizations that focus on social, academic, political, and even recreational topics. Club membership can often include leadership opportunities.

General Information


School Type Public
Campus Setting Town: Remote
Campus Housing Yes
Student Faculty Ratio 19:1
Graduation Rate 44%
Year Founded 1884

Student Enrollment


Total Students10,735

Undergraduate
9,622
Graduate
1,113

Undergraduate Student

Male 2,790
2,790
Female 6,832
6,832

Graduate Student

Male 323
323
Female 790
790

Explore Map

NSUL Acceptance Rate and Admissions


APPLICATIONS3,738

Male 1,166
Female 2,572

ACCEPTANCE3,588

Male 1,119
Female 2,469

Acceptance Rate96%

Male 96%
Female 96%

Enrollment 1,292

Male 414
Female 889
Admissions
Application Fee $20
High School GPA Required
High School Rank NA
High School Transcripts Required
College Prep Courses Required
Recommendations NA
SAT/ACT Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Required
Application Deadline October 15
Common Application Accepted No

NSUL Tuition Cost & Financial Aid


The cost of a college education is a hot topic these days. Students who want to contain their educational costs should consider publicly funded universities, such as NSUL. Louisiana students are able to reap the rewards of their tax burden in the form of lower tuition costs, relative to their non-resident classmates. Indeed, Louisiana residents see their costs hovering under $10,000, inclusive of all tuition, fees, and supplies. Non state residents, on the other hand, see costs that nearly double that amount.

On top of the gross costs for academic services, students need to cover room, board, and other living costs. For Louisiana residents, the grand total at NSUL is right around $25,000, whether students live on campus or in town. Non-residents pay a bit more than $35,000 for the same year in school. However, the financial aid office is able to bring these costs down quite a bit.

In fact, the average net price, once all applicable grants and scholarships are applied, is a mere $13,500 on average. This figure remains static for those in the lowest income bracket yet rises to only $16,000 for households that earn over $110,001 per year. Thus, NSUL students find that their school offers a terrific value in higher education.

Average net price 2020-2021
Net Price $13,500
Average Total Aid $9,347
Students Receiving Financial Aid 95%
Room & Board $9,929

Sticker Price


  • Tuition In-State - $8,672
  • Tuition Out-of-State - $19,460
  • Books and Supplies - $1,300
  • Room & Board - $9,929
  • Other - $5,190

Academics


Students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana have many reasons to be happy with their choice of college experience. They are surrounded by friends, have lots of recreational opportunities, and are generally facing a bright future. This future can be assumed based on the strong academic statistics that mean students will be prepared for terrific careers. The statistics we use for rankings include the retention rate, graduation rate, and other metrics.

When researchers looked at the retention rate, they were pleasantly surprised. NSUL reports that 64% of its first-time, full-time students returned to campus for a second year, which is around the national average. This indicates to researchers that these students and their families were pleased with the curriculum, faculty, and campus resources at NSUL. Some of the positive atmosphere for students might be attributed to NSUL's student to faculty ratio. Since NSUL students are in classes that average 19 students to every instructor, it's clear that they are receiving terrific hands-on instruction.

Student Population Total


Student Population 10,735

Undergraduate
9,622
Graduate
1,113
Evening Classes : No
Online Learning : Yes

Most Popular Programs & Majors

(# of Diplomas Awarded by Subject)


Health Professions and Related Programs 376 Total Graduates / 29%
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 279 Graduates
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer 54 Graduates
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 23 Graduates
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling 20 Graduates
All Business Majors 171 Total Graduates / 13%
Business Administration and Management, General 100 Graduates
Accounting 41 Graduates
Hospitality Administration/Management, General 30 Graduates
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 139 Total Graduates / 11%
General Studies 113 Graduates
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 26 Graduates
All Biological & Biomedical Majors 96 Total Graduates / 7%
Biology/Biological Sciences, General 87 Graduates
Microbiology, General 9 Graduates
All Psychology Majors 86 Total Graduates / 6%
Psychology, General 86 Graduates
All Other Diplomas 34%

Outcome & Salary


While there are no guarantees when it comes to earnings outcomes, prospective students considering NSUL are likely still eager to estimate how well they will fare after graduation. Researchers have thus surveyed NSUL alumni to see how well they are doing, from a salary perspective. The top earning alumni from NSUL turned out to be the information sciences students whose median salary is $74,000. The top five earning degrees was rounded out by allied health degrees, who reported a median entry-level salary of $53,000. In the middle of the top-five list were industrial production technologies students, whose median entry-level salary was $60,000.

Graduates Salary
College Grads Early Career Salary $44,300
College Grads Average Salary $63,000
College Grads Mid Career Salary $67,900
Return on Investment (ROI)
10 Year Salary Earnings Potential $630,000
20 Year Salary Earnings Potential $1,309,000
Cost of Education (Net Price) 4 Year $54,000
10 Year Projected ROI $576,000
20 Year Projected ROI $1,255,000
No College Education Salary Comparison
National Average Salary $38,792
10 Year Projected Income $387,920
20 Year Projected Income $775,840

Search All Programs