Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, Louisiana·Public, 4-year or above·Southeast·mcneese.edu
6-yr Graduation
47%
+5.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
6,241
peer median 7,382
Avg net price
$11,257
-$1.7k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
3,902
3,902 candidates competed
Admitted
3,054
78.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,166
38.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
47%+5.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
25%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
46%
Full-time retention
68%

Pell equity

6.0pp gap
Pell recipients
38%
Non-Pell
44%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 58 Title IV programs, 25 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 33 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
58
Passing
25
43.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

58programs
  • Passing25 · 43.1%
  • No Data33 · 56.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
3
Safe
20
No data
33

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

25
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+5.3%
$48,679 vs $46,221
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.3%
$34,891 vs $32,203
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+16.2%
$37,416 vs $32,203
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Master's Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+17.1%
$60,071 vs $51,310
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
+23.1%
$59,792 vs $48,555
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+36.1%
$43,828 vs $32,203
Agriculture General
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+36.3%
$43,901 vs $32,203
Marketing
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+38.5%
$44,589 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

21
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
64%
$23,935 debt · $37,416 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
64%
$22,156 debt · $34,891 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Master's Degree · Security And Protective Services
59%
$35,132 debt · $59,792 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
58%
$27,806 debt · $47,592 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$25,000 debt · $48,195 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
50%
$23,575 debt · $47,166 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
50%
$22,691 debt · $45,669 earn
Agriculture General
Bachelor Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
49%
$21,348 debt · $43,901 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1954Next review Dec 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 22

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  2. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
  3. Jun 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jun 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2022Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$8,431
$30–48k$8,219
$48–75k$12,263
$75–110k$15,353
$110k+$17,328

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$11,257
-$1,734vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,992
Federal loans
30.9%
In-state tuition
$8,460
Out-of-state
$9,960

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,560 students received $14.6M in Pell grants, alongside $17.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,560
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$14.6M
$14,585,314 total
Direct Loans
$17.1M
3,597 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
2k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.6M
1,543 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$7.4M
1,722 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$3.1M
226 loan awards
Parent PLUS$961K
106 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,368 borrowers who entered repayment, 46 (3.3%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.3%
+1.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,368
Defaulted
46
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
13.6%
2017
12.4%
2018
8.3%
2019
3.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at McNeese State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs51
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,039 total completions
01Health Professions
26025.0%
02Business
20719.9%
03Liberal Arts
18017.3%
04Parks/Recreation
838.0%
05Psychology
726.9%
06Engineering
716.8%
07Agriculture
494.7%
08Security/Protective
454.3%
09Biological Sciences
393.8%
10Education
333.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
6,241
12-mo unduplicated
6,776
Undergraduate
6,211
Graduate
565

Gender split

Men
37%2,507
Women
63%4,269

Race / ethnicity composition

White
64.3%
Black
17.6%
Non-resident
6.4%
Hispanic
4.5%
Two or more
3.9%
Asian
1.8%
Unknown
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
376
220 M · 156 W
Women athletes
41.5%
Athletic aid
$4.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.7M
$1.7M
Recruiting expense
$263K
$169K
Head-coach salaries
$190K
$54K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
82 M · 99 W
$1.3M
Football
127 M ·
$4.5M
Baseball
41 M ·
$980K
Soccer
· 35 W
$559K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$3.3M
Softball
· 29 W
$973K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.09
13 offenses · 6,230 students

3-year trend

2.752 yrs ago2.481 yr ago2.09Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
49
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
2
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
9
Motor vehicle theft
3
Rape
1

By location

13total
  • On campus13

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs05
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
20.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
235

McNeese State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions McNeese State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectMcNeese State University
47%6,241$11,257Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Grambling State University
36%44.9%5,150$19,125Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
45%92.5%8,523$13,809Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
38%50.5%10,749$8,130Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southeastern Louisiana University
45%99.3%14,426$12,174Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Auburn University at Montgomery
33%91.6%5,217$14,596Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median42%91.6%7,382$12,992

Frequently asked questions about McNeese State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about McNeese State.

What is the graduation rate at McNeese State University?

McNeese State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 47% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend McNeese State University?

McNeese State University reports a total enrollment of 6,241 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at McNeese State University?

The average net price at McNeese State University is $11,257 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at McNeese State University?

McNeese State University's yield rate is 38.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is McNeese State University located?

McNeese State University is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana 70605.

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