Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Admission to Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is relatively accessible, though the institution's national standing has dropped in recent years. In the US News Best Colleges rankings, the school fell from rank 133 in 2018 to rank 202 in 2027. For the entering class of 2025, the university admitted 73.3% of applicants, reflecting an open admissions standard compared to more selective national universities. When admitted students decide where to matriculate, however, less than a quarter choose to enroll. The university posted a yield rate of 23%, which is higher than 63% of 30 similarly ranked public research universities. This modest yield demonstrates that while the university draws a larger portion of its admitted pool than most of its direct peers, the majority of accepted students pursue other college options. For applicants, these trends indicate that securing an acceptance letter is achievable for candidates with competitive academic profiles, even as the school navigates a decline in its broader ranking profile.

Prospective applicants to Louisiana State University should gauge their academic preparation against the standardized test ranges and grade profiles of recent admitted classes. For the class entering in 2025, the middle 50% of enrolled students who took the ACT earned composite scores between 24 and 30. Test submission has dropped over time, with standardized assessments submitted by a smaller portion of the applicant pool than in past years. To provide perspective for non-domestic applicants, unofficial international applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway show that admitted students presented a median unweighted GPA of 3.6 alongside a median SAT score of 1200. Applicants aiming for admission will find that matching or exceeding this 3.6 GPA benchmark provides a solid academic foundation. In evaluating their readiness, candidates should aim to align their testing credentials with the university's middle percentile ranges to demonstrate sufficient academic preparation for coursework across the institution's diverse degree tracks.

Undergraduate degree conferrals at Louisiana State University are broadly distributed across fields rather than concentrated in a few areas, with the top three bachelor's majors accounting for 19.4% of all undergraduate degrees in 2025. The most popular undergraduate programs include physical education teaching and coaching, general biology, and general psychology. However, the university's largest majors do not align with its highest-ranked offerings. The institution's academic reputation centers primarily on specialized engineering and professional degrees. In the 2026 US News graduate program rankings, petroleum engineering placed 10th nationally, alongside strong standings in legal writing and veterinary medicine. These engineering fields also deliver the school's strongest compensation outcomes. According to 2023 earnings data, bachelor's degree recipients in petroleum engineering achieved a median first-year salary of $99,842, leading all undergraduate disciplines. International student presence remains low at the undergraduate level, where international students represented just 1.9% of bachelor's graduates in 2025, but increases considerably within doctoral STEM departments.

Louisiana State University supports a large student body where undergraduate cohorts remain largely domestic, while advanced degree programs draw a more globally diverse population. White and Black students represent the largest demographic segments across undergraduate classes, followed by Hispanic learners. Asian students maintain a modest presence within both undergraduate and graduate divisions. For example, continuing undergraduates include 1,076 Asian students, who make up 5% of that cohort, alongside smaller shares in the freshman and transfer classes. International enrollment shows a sharp division between academic levels. While foreign students make up a very small fraction of undergraduate classrooms, the graduate school enrolled 1,221 international students in 2025, constituting 16.4% of all graduate scholars. Female students form the majority across both the entering first-year class and the graduate student population. This demographic profile reflects a state flagship that serves primarily regional undergraduate students while relying on international scholars to populate its graduate programs.

The age distribution at Louisiana State University highlights a traditional undergraduate campus alongside an older graduate cohort. In 2025, undergraduates aged 18 to 19 formed the single largest group at 14,008 students, accounting for 40.9% of all undergraduates, with students aged 20 to 21 representing the next largest group. This heavy concentration of students under age 22 creates a social and academic life centered on traditional college-age activities and residential campus routines. In contrast, the graduate student population spans a broader adult demographic. Students aged 25 to 29 represent the largest graduate bracket at 2,357 students, or 31.6% of the graduate cohort, followed closely by individuals in their early twenties. This separation means daily life on campus divides naturally between young undergraduates engaged in typical collegiate milestones and mature graduate scholars balancing advanced study with professional pursuits.

International enrollment at Louisiana State University differs noticeably by degree level, with modest participation in undergraduate colleges and stronger representation in graduate divisions. At the undergraduate level, international students accounted for 1.5% of enrollment in 2025, continuing a downward trajectory from earlier years. Graduate programs maintain a much larger global cohort, where international students comprised 16.4% of graduate students in 2025, though this share has also contracted compared to 2016. Graduation statistics from 2025 reflect this split across credential levels: international scholars made up 1.9% of bachelor's degree recipients, compared to 17.5% of doctoral graduates. Among undergraduate degree earners, popular disciplines such as physical education teaching and coaching, general biology, and psychology see negligible international participation. At the graduate stage, international completions expand moderately in fields like management science and education, before reaching their highest presence among doctoral research programs. For prospective international students, these patterns suggest an environment where undergraduate international communities are compact, while graduate research settings provide broader international engagement.

Applicants considering this region have several other four-year institutions within reasonable travel distance. Located 71.1 kilometers away in New Orleans, Tulane University of Louisiana is a private institution ranked 59th among National Universities in the 2027 US News rankings. In neighboring Texas, Rice University is a highly selective private research university situated 257 kilometers away and holds the 16th spot nationally, while the public University of Houston is located 253.6 kilometers away with a national ranking of 137. Additionally, Mississippi State University sits 252.4 kilometers to the northeast and is ranked 208th on the same National University list. Exploring these regional alternatives offers students a mix of high-ranking private research institutions and comparable public flagships across the Gulf Coast.

Campus safety data for Louisiana State University show a noticeable decline in reportable incidents over the past decade. In 2025, the crime rate per 1,000 students stood at 9.8, down from higher rates recorded in previous years. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, property-related offenses formed the largest share of recorded incidents on and around campus. Motor vehicle theft was the most frequently reported offense during this timeframe, totaling 214 incidents, followed by general theft with 170 incidents. Law enforcement and campus disciplinary authorities also documented substance-related violations across these three years, including drug arrests and liquor law violations, as well as interpersonal offenses such as stalking and rape. For students evaluating the campus environment, these statistics indicate that while property offenses require common-sense personal precautions, the overall rate of reported safety incidents has trended downward in recent years.