University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Public · Moderately Selective · LA

Photo: TheLionHasSeen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationLA · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads12,428

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate26.9%

6-yr grad rate52.6%

Drop-out rate25.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$24k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity42.9%

Gender diversity58.8%

International0.7%

Identity—

Overview

UL Lafayette sits at the heart of Acadiana, and Cajun and Creole culture — food, music, festivals — shapes student life as much as academics do. Academically the university is known for computer science and informatics, run through one of the South's longer-established computer science graduate programs, along with nursing and engineering, with research tied closely to Louisiana's coast, wetlands, and energy industry.

Academics

Computer science and informatics have a strong regional and national reputation, anchored by the Center for Advanced Computer Studies, one of the longer-running computer science graduate programs in the South, with notable research computing resources for a school of this size. Nursing and engineering are similarly well regarded, with engineering research often connected to coastal erosion, wetlands loss, and energy issues specific to Louisiana's geography. The curriculum leans applied and regionally grounded rather than abstract, reflecting a university whose research agenda is shaped directly by the land and industry around it.

Campus & student life

Cajun and Creole culture runs through daily campus life here in a way few other American universities can match — food, music, and festival traditions are lived experience rather than a cultural-studies elective, and Lafayette's own Mardi Gras traditions, distinct from New Orleans's, are part of that texture. Students are the Ragin' Cajuns, one of the more distinctive identities in college sports, and the softball and baseball programs have both built real national reputations, with softball a frequent presence in the Women's College World Series. Lafayette itself is a mid-size city deeply woven into the region's cultural identity, hosting major music and food festivals that draw well beyond the student body.

Getting in

Admission is generally accessible, with computer science and nursing drawing somewhat more competitive applicant pools than the university average. The process is credentials-based rather than essay-heavy, consistent with UL Lafayette's role as a large regional public university, and the university draws heavily from Louisiana and the broader Gulf South, with Acadiana's cultural identity itself a real pull for students who want that regional immersion as part of college.

After graduation

Engineering and computer science graduates find strong placement with Louisiana's energy and technology employers, and coastal-research work connects directly to state and federal environmental agencies grappling with Louisiana's wetlands loss. Nursing graduates are well placed in regional hospital systems across Acadiana and beyond. Athletic programs, especially softball, have also sent alumni on to professional and Olympic-level competition.

Worth knowing

The depth of Cajun and Creole cultural life on campus is a genuine differentiator, not a marketing gloss — students who want an academic experience embedded in a distinct regional culture will find it here more than almost anywhere else in the country. The softball program's national prominence is worth knowing about even for non-athletes, since it's a real point of campus pride and identity. Lafayette's festival calendar also means the academic year has a livelier rhythm than a typical college town's.

louisiana.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate87%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1120–1240 · ACT 23–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying