Higher Education Outcome Report · South

💰 Low-Cost / High Value

Louisiana Higher Education Outcome Report

Updated continuously · 34 degree-granting institutions graded

Louisiana's higher education system is a above-average mobility system. Median 10-year earnings sit at $50,504, -2% vs the national median.

energy & petrochemical
maritime trade
healthcare

106
INSTITUTIONS: $50,504
MEDIAN EARNINGS: ▼ -2% vs natl; $18,157
AVG NET PRICE: 31 / 21
PUBLIC / PRIVATE

OUTCOME GRADE

B+

64/100 · #12 of 50

Louisiana At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

34

129,995 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~17,055

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
42nd pct

$47,089

29th of 50 states
Mobility Score
98th pct

3.5%

1st of 46 states
Talent Retention
38th pct

71%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
68th pct

3.1x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Healthcare
Social Sciences

Executive Summary

Louisiana graduates earn a median of $47,089 a decade after entry, 4% below the national state average, ranking 29th of 50 states.
Upward mobility is a defining strength: the state's institutions move bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 3.5% rate, in the 98th percentile nationally.
Degree production is led by Business and Healthcare, which together account for 39% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 14.4% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Louisiana returns 3.1x earnings per dollar of net price, among the strongest cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is ITI Technical College, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 8.1% rate, the highest in Louisiana.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-17.6%

Median graduate earnings in Louisiana are below the national average by 18%.
Cost vs National

-6.2%

Net price in Louisiana is lower than the national average by 6%.
Mobility Rate

+1.33pp

Upward mobility rate is 1.3 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

-2.2pp

Louisiana's graduation rate is 2.2 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

7.2x

Top value school: Cloyd's Barber School 2 Inc ($23,220 earnings vs $3,224 net price).
Low-Income Access

18.4%

18% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (21% of graduates) and Healthcare (18% of graduates) dominate Louisiana's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $48,384.

Business

21%

$48,384 avg
Healthcare

18%

$57,719 avg
Social Sciences

13%

$49,062 avg
Humanities

11%

$42,308 avg
Sciences

9%

$49,378 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Louisiana's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Transportation), where graduates average $49,524 against a net cost of $12,665, a 3.9x return. That's -4% vs the national median.

Transportation
3.9x

$49,524 earnings $12,665 net -4% vs natl
Humanities
3.5x

$47,101 earnings $13,305 net -8.7% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
3.2x

$50,721 earnings $15,950 net -1.7% vs natl
Health Professions
3.0x

$51,058 earnings $16,766 net -1% vs natl
Education
3.0x

$47,280 earnings $15,922 net -8.3% vs natl
Computer Science & IT
3.0x

$47,455 earnings $16,035 net -8% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Louisiana's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 21%
Health Professions 18%
Humanities 9%
Psychology 8%
Biology & Biomedical 8%

Highest-Earning Fields

Health Professions $57,719
Social Sciences $51,815
Engineering $50,478
Communications $49,764
Biology & Biomedical $49,343

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Louisiana's graduate supply.

Social Sciences $51,815 5% of grads
Engineering $50,478 6% of grads
Communications $49,764 4% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Louisiana's colleges post an average mobility rate of 3.5%, which puts the state in the 98th percentile nationally. 18% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households, a larger share than most states enroll. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.25, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

3.5%

▲ +1.79pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

18%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

22%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

39%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

71%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.25

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Humanities graduates, however, earn 14.4% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Business
21% of enrollment

$47,018 -8.8% vs natl

24 schools
Healthcare
18% of enrollment

$50,562 -2% vs natl

23 schools
Social Sciences
13% of enrollment

$47,269 -8.3% vs natl

19 schools
Humanities
11% of enrollment

$44,166 -14.4% vs natl

12 schools
Sciences
9% of enrollment

$49,878 -3.3% vs natl

14 schools
Engineering
6% of enrollment

$50,989 -1.1% vs natl

5 schools

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -14.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Business: -8.8% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Social Sciences: -8.3% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Louisiana's higher education system includes 4 research-oriented, 8 specialized, 6 access-oriented, 16 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

4

Research Universities
16

Regional Universities
6

Access-Oriented Institutions
8

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Cost & Access Corridors

50% of Louisiana's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $44,603 at 10 years. At the premium end, 1 school charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $38,366.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

15

50% of schools
Avg earnings: $44,603
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

11

37% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,396
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

3

10% of schools
Avg earnings: $65,344
NET PRICE OVER $40K

1

3% of schools
Avg earnings: $38,366

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Louisiana

Louisiana is home to 106 colleges and universities, from 31 public institutions to 21 private nonprofits. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $36,131 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Culinary & Personal Services. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Louisiana

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $16,963 a year across Louisiana. Louisiana State University-Shreveport stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Louisiana's economy leans on energy & petrochemical, maritime trade and healthcare, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Business & Marketing and Culinary & Personal Services feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Louisiana level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Louisiana earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$36,131

▼ $-7,706 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$16,963

▲ $-1,113 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.1x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

HBCUs in Louisiana

Is Louisiana Right for You?

Louisiana is a strong fit if you want to build a career in energy & petrochemical and maritime trade, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

Related Rankings

Top Schools

Chamberlain University-Louisiana · LA Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans · LA Baton Rouge General Medical Center School of Nursing & School of Radiologic Technology · LA Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport · LA ITI Technical College · LA Tulane University of Louisiana · LA

FAQ

How many colleges are in Louisiana?

There are 106 colleges and universities in Louisiana in our dataset — 31 public, 21 private nonprofit, including 7 HBCUs.

What is the highest-earning college in Louisiana?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Chamberlain University-Louisiana leads, followed by schools like Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans and Baton Rouge General Medical Center School of Nursing & School of Radiologic Technology.

How much does college cost in Louisiana?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $16,963 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Louisiana?

Louisiana's economy is anchored by energy & petrochemical, maritime trade and healthcare, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Louisiana?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. Louisiana State University-Shreveport, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 106 schools in Louisiana

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

106 institutions in Louisiana

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.

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