Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, Louisiana · Also known as NSU | NSULA | Northwestern State University | Northwestern | NwSU · Website
$47,021
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$47,021
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwestern State University of Louisiana is a public 4-year college in Natchitoches, Louisiana with 5,519 undergraduates and 901 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $13,606 a year (tuition and fees $8,864 in-state, $19,652 out-of-state). It admits 93% of applicants and 43% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $47,021 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$13,606
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,864
Out-of-state $19,652
Admission rate
93%
US median 78%
Completion rate
43%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$47,021
Rank 1,753 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $13,606
- Tuition in-state
- $8,864
- Tuition out-of-state
- $19,652
- Cost of attendance
- $25,431
- Students with a need-based grant
- 35%
- Students with federal loans
- 35%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $11,693
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $12,261
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,549
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,777
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $19,077
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,006 in 2015-16 to $8,864 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 93%
- Average SAT
- 1,088
- SAT reading, middle
- 530
- SAT math, middle
- 490
- ACT, middle
- 19
- Undergraduates
- 5,519
- Graduate students
- 901
- Part-time students
- 25%
- Women
- 71%
- Students per teacher
- 16
- Completion rate
- 43%
- Retention rate
- 71%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 71
- Endowment
- $18.9M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,753 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 94 in Louisiana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | LA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $13,606 | $14,810 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,864 | $9,181 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 93% | 78% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 43% | 57% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 71% | 71% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $13,136 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $39,485 | $27,631 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $47,021 | $32,992 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 62% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 64% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
71 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 293 | $22,175 | $74,935 | $86,608 | $88,910 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 245 | $19,360 | $34,148 | $43,417 | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 144 | $26,528 | $32,688 | $47,652 | $53,072 |
| Psychology, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 113 | $24,245 | $32,765 | $44,492 | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 100 | $24,566 | $25,078 | $55,452 | $57,214 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 98 | $23,250 | $68,346 | $76,710 | $80,813 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 91 | $27,000 | $37,020 | $51,927 | $68,257 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 70 | $41,000 | $98,816 | $111,536 | $120,193 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 64 | $21,500 | $58,627 | $66,559 | $70,786 |
| Social WorkOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $27,000 | $33,596 | $47,296 | $51,790 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 50 | $35,500 | $46,189 | $52,689 | $59,916 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $26,797 | $27,373 | Withheld | $48,568 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $27,000 | $30,559 | $44,267 | $55,378 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $26,762 | $48,895 | $60,861 | $76,194 |
| Information Science/StudiesOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $26,125 | Withheld | $63,928 | $85,294 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $20,750 | $25,137 | $37,273 | $56,359 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 28 | $22,375 | $28,009 | $51,722 | $54,562 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $19,731 | $46,908 | $53,800 | $47,382 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $21,359 | $16,973 | $36,229 | $39,775 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $19,500 | $35,452 | $44,227 | $56,726 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 20 | $42,395 | $44,984 | $50,650 | $60,111 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $27,000 | $39,282 | Withheld | $84,599 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessOnlineMaster's | Master's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | $53,469 | $62,033 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $22,885 | $23,529 | $39,223 | $42,892 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Louisiana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Louisiana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Louisiana
Questions and answers
How much does Northwestern State University of Louisiana cost?
$13,606 a year is the average net price at Northwestern State University of Louisiana after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,864 for in-state students and $19,652 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,431. Families earning under $30,000 pay $11,693 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwestern State University of Louisiana?
93% of applicants are admitted to Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,088 and the middle ACT score is 19. The median admission rate of colleges in Louisiana is 78%.
How much do Northwestern State University of Louisiana graduates earn?
$47,021 a year is the median pay of former Northwestern State University of Louisiana students who work, 10 years after they started ($39,485 after 6 years). That ranks 1,753 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 94 in Louisiana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $98,816.
How much student debt do Northwestern State University of Louisiana graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwestern State University of Louisiana graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 35% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwestern State University of Louisiana?
43% of first-time, full-time students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana finish within 6 years. 71% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwestern State University of Louisiana?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (293 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (245 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (144 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 71 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.