Northwestern State
University of Louisiana
Public College in Natchitoches, LA. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $47,021.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $47,021 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 45%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $25,000, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree. It also moves people — 2.8% of students climb from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 93% of applicants are accepted. 3,015 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. About 37% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. The score bands below rest on the 3% of enrolled first-years who submitted an SAT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 448–610 | 36 (3%) |
| SAT Math | 418–553 | |
| ACT Composite | 18–24 | 891 (85%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Northwestern State University of Louisiana →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 45%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 71% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Retention drops to 29% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. At 16:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,898 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $13,134 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $11,693 at $0–30k against $19,077 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 81% get grants averaging $10,533, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 47% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,032 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $11,693 |
| $30–48k | $12,261 |
| $48–75k | $12,549 |
| $75–110k | $17,777 |
| $110k+ | $19,077 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 2,774 of these 5,898 students, totalling $19,341,361 — an average of $6,972 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Natchitoches Parish) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)