McNeese State University

Public · Moderately Selective · LA

Photo: Kingfish27 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationLA · South

SettingUrban

Undergrads5,005

Student:faculty20:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate25.4%

6-yr grad rate47%

Drop-out rate31.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$8k

Out-of-state tuition$10k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity39.1%

Gender diversity61.7%

International7.4%

Identity—

Overview

McNeese State is a public university in Lake Charles, in southwest Louisiana's industrial corridor. Its engineering and nursing programs feed directly into the region's petrochemical and health-care employers, while rodeo and agriculture programs reflect the area's ranching culture.

Academics

Engineering has a strong track record placing graduates with the petrochemical plants that dominate the Lake Charles regional economy, and nursing serves the area's health-care systems in the same direct way. Agriculture programs draw on the surrounding ranching and farming country.

Campus & student life

McNeese's rodeo team competes nationally and is a genuine point of campus pride, reflecting the ranching culture of southwest Louisiana in a way few other regional universities can claim.

Worth knowing

The direct pipeline between McNeese's engineering program and the region's petrochemical industry is a practical, real feature of the school, not a generic claim, and the rodeo program is a legitimate athletic tradition rather than a novelty.

mcneese.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate78.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 940–1198 · ACT 18–23

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying