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Northwestern State University of Louisiana Complete Information Guide

Fair Price Value for Your Money
92% Acceptance Rate
10% Student Loan Default Rate

This overview covers the essential stats on Northwestern State University of Louisiana, including its rankings, majors, diversity, and more.

If you’re interested in learning more about a particular stat, just click on its tile to go to a new page that covers the topic more in-depth. Also, you can jump to any section of this page by clicking one of the links below.

* Rankings

Where Does Northwestern State University of Louisiana Rank?

#1,895 Best Colleges in Nation
#20 Best Colleges in LA
Northwestern State University of Louisiana ranking badge

2026 Best Colleges Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

National Standing

Northwestern State University of Louisiana is ranked #1,895 out of 3,449 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2026 Best Colleges list.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana is also ranked #20 on the Best Colleges in Louisiana list.

See all of the rankings for Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Is It Hard to Get Into Northwestern State U of Louisiana?

92% Acceptance Rate
93% Of Accepted Are Women
3% Submit SAT Scores

Getting Accepted

With an acceptance rate of 92%, Northwestern State University of Louisiana is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.

Average Test Scores

About 3% of students accepted to Northwestern State University of Louisiana submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 448 and 610. Math scores were between 418 and 553.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Northwestern State University of Louisiana  ( 448 to 610 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Northwestern State University of Louisiana  ( 418 to 553 )
200
800

Northwestern State University of Louisiana received ACT scores from 85% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 18 and 24.

ACT Composite Scores for Northwestern State University of Louisiana  ( 18 to 24 )
1
36

Learn more about Northwestern State University of Louisiana admissions.

Teaching Staff at Northwestern State University of Louisiana

16 to 1 Student to Faculty
69% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Northwestern State University of Louisiana is about average at 16 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Full-Time Faculty Share

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Northwestern State University of Louisiana is 69%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  69 out of 100
0
100

Retention and Graduation Rates at Northwestern State University of Louisiana

70% Freshmen Retention
45% On-Time Graduation Rate

First-Year Student Retention

The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Northwestern State University of Louisiana is 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.

Freshmen Retention Rate  70 out of 100
0
100

Time to Degree

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Northwestern State University of Louisiana for first-time, full-time students is 45%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  45 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Diversity Profile of Northwestern State University of Louisiana

5,840 Undergraduate Students
37.1% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
69.3% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 5,840 undergraduates at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

How Much Does Northwestern State University of Louisiana Cost?

$16,772 Net Price
35% Take Out Loans
$27,888 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of Northwestern State University of Louisiana is $16,772. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.### Net Price by Income Group for Northwestern State University of Louisiana

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$12,129 $12,307 $14,216 $17,311 $18,107

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Borrowing and Loans

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Northwestern State University of Louisiana, approximately 35% of students took out student loans averaging $6,972 a year. That adds up to $27,888 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 9.5%. This is about the same as the national default rate of 10.1%. Get more details about paying for Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

What Do Northwestern State U of Louisiana Alumni Earn?

$47,021 Avg Salary of Grads
Average Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Northwestern State U of Louisiana make around $47,021 per year during the early years of their employment. This is right on par with the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Also, graduates in your major field may make more.

See which majors at Northwestern State University of Louisiana make the most money.

Location of Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Louisiana State
5,840 Undergraduate Students
Town Campus Setting

Northwestern State University of Louisiana is an public institution found in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Natchitoches is a good match for students who enjoy small-town life. Get more details about the location of Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Location of Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Contact information for Northwestern State U of Louisiana are listed below.

Contact Details
Address: 175 Sam Sibley Drive, Natchitoches, LA 71497-0002
Phone: 3183576011
Website: www.nsula.edu/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NorthwesternState
Twitter: twitter.com/nsula

Northwestern State University of Louisiana Academic Programs

21 Majors With Completions
3,912 Undergraduate Degrees

In the latest year of available data, students from 21 majors graduated from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 1,956 NA
Nursing 530 $68,219
Liberal Arts General Studies 346 $31,207
General Psychology 120 $26,391
Allied Health Professions 103 $52,493
Business Administration & Management 93 $33,378
Teacher Education Grade Specific 87 $41,265
General Biology 60 $21,223
Criminal Justice & Corrections 56 $27,145
Child Development & Family Studies 46 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Northwestern State University of Louisiana along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Online Learning at Northwestern State University of Louisiana

104% Take At Least One Class Online
57% Take All Classes Online

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

6,079 students took at least one online class at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Learn more about online learning at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Similar InstitutionsCurious how schools stack up against Northwestern State University of Louisiana? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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