🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students. Affordable on average — net price runs around $14,810/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,054 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Psychology or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: ACT below 14 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M2: Master's - Medium Programs
Total enrollment
1,055
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$8,054
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$16,954
+$8,900 vs in-state
Admit rate
60.2%
Accessible
ACT middle 50%
14–18
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$34,042
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$29,148
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,042
4-year completion
13%
Median debt (completers)
$31,000
Cost of attendance
$23,905
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
42%

💰 True ROI

5.7× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$59,240
$14,810/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$36,380
vs sticker $95,620
10-yr earnings total
$340,420
$34,042/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.7 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Southern University at New Orleans, the average net price is $14,810/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$14,771/yr
Family income $30-48k
data suppressed
Family income $48-75k
data suppressed
Family income $75-110k
$19,360/yr
Family income $110k+
data suppressed

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Southern University at New Orleans's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Southern University at New Orleans →

Opens on Southern University at New Orleans's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Southern University at New Orleans

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Southern University at New Orleans actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Psychology
41 degrees · 26.1%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
2. Business, Management, & Marketing
41 degrees · 26.1%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
3. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
27 degrees · 17.2%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
4. Public Administration & Social Services
26 degrees · 16.6%
Typical career outcomes
Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k
Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.
5. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies
22 degrees · 14.0%
Typical career outcomes
Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k
Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Southern University at New Orleans

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Social Work. Bachelor's Degree 27 $49,709
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 18 $33,687 $47,390
Health and Medical Administrative Services. Bachelor's Degree 8 $44,788
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 38 $33,494 $44,723
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 18 $44,350
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree 28 $25,777 $44,226
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 34 $40,173 $42,068
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 26 $39,139

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Southern University at New Orleans vs. another college

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