2027 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Louisiana

[Liberal Arts](/majors/liberal-arts-sciences-humanities/liberal-arts-and-general-studies/liberal-arts/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for liberal arts students.
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2027 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools in Louisiana
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in liberal arts, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools
For return on investment in liberal arts, no school beat Louisiana State University Shreveport this year. Louisiana State University Shreveport is a large public school located in the city of Shreveport. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $7,327. Students borrow a median of $34,500 to complete the liberal arts program here. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients from Louisiana State University Shreveport generally make around $34,855. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 50% of applicants are accepted.
Baton Rouge Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Community College is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,321. Students borrow a median of $17,300 to complete the liberal arts program here. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients from Baton Rouge Community College generally make around $28,650. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Mcneese State University earned it the #3 place for liberal arts. Located in the city of Lake Charles, Mcneese State University is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $8,489 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $9,989. Liberal Arts graduates carry a median of $22,063 in student loans. Early-career liberal arts graduates make about $36,466. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 78%.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts will find it at Northwestern State University Of Louisiana, which ranked #4. Located in the town of Natchitoches, Northwestern State University Of Louisiana is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $8,864, while out-of-state students pay about $19,652. Typical student debt for liberal arts graduates is $27,368. Soon after graduation, liberal arts degree recipients from Northwestern State University Of Louisiana generally make around $33,418. That is a strong return on a $27,368 median debt. Northwestern State University Of Louisiana admits about 92% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in liberal arts will find it at Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,954, compared with $28,631 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $19,575 to complete the liberal arts program here. Liberal Arts graduates of Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College earn a median of $24,879 early in their careers. Set against $19,575 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 73%.
More Liberal Arts Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.