Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Louisiana
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply. See every Louisiana college priced for your income
From the state
Across state lines
From the colleges
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
In our Louisiana scenarios, with good parent credit, a SmartTuition plan saves a median of about $6,600 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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From the state
Louisiana's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
TOPS (Taylor Opportunity Program for Students)
A scholarship for Louisiana residents who finish the TOPS core courses with at least a 2.50 GPA and an ACT of 20 or more. The Excellence Award pays tuition and fees up to $12,000 a year at a public college and $8,500 at a private one.
Source: State of Louisiana, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“Minimum TOPS Core Curriculum GPA of 2.50”
“Minimum ACT Composite Score (or SAT/CLT Equivalent) of the prior year state average but never less than a 20”
“tuition and fees as reported to the Board of Regents in the annual mandatory survey on tuition and fees, or $12,000, whichever is less”
“tuition and fees as reported to the Board of Regents in the annual mandatory survey on tuition and fees, or $8,500, whichever is less”
GO Grant
A need-based grant for Louisiana residents who receive a Pell Grant and still have need after other aid. It pays $300 to $3,000 a year, and each college sets the amount from its own allocation.
Source: State of Louisiana, Office of Student Financial Assistance
“Receive a Federal Pell grant”
“Minimum Annual Award $300 Maximum Annual Award $3,000”
“Award amounts to eligible students are based on the institution’s allocation and their packaging policy.”
Louisiana's 529 tax deduction
Money you put into a START account comes off your Louisiana income, up to $2,400 a year for each child, or $4,800 for a married couple filing jointly. An unused part counts in later years. Take money out for anything other than school costs and Louisiana taxes the earnings.
Source: Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, START Saving Program FAQs
“Deposits to START accounts are deductible from reported Louisiana income, up to $2,400 per year, per beneficiary.”
“Married couples filing jointly may deduct deposits to START accounts from Louisiana State Taxable Income up to a maximum of $4,800 per year, per beneficiary, and any unused portion may be carried forward to subsequent tax years.”
“any earnings included in the refunded amount become taxable by the federal and state governments”
Louisiana also has TOPS Tech for technical programs, the M.J. Foster Promise for community and technical colleges, and programs for future teachers. See the Office of Student Financial Assistance's list.
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University public | None published | — | $30,685 |
| Louisiana State University-Shreveport public |
| — | $21,251 |
| Loyola University New Orleans private | None published | — | $73,484 |
| Northwestern State University of Louisiana public | None published | — | $24,636 |
| Southern University at New Orleans public | None published | — | $22,523 |
| Tulane University private | None published | — | $100,749 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
12 more Louisiana colleges have no page here. For 0 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Dillard University
- Grambling State University
- Louisiana State University at Alexandria
- Louisiana Tech University
- McNeese State University
- University of New Orleans
- Nicholls State University
- University of Louisiana at Monroe
- Southeastern Louisiana University
- Southern University and A & M College
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Xavier University of Louisiana
Across state lines
The Academic Common Market, run by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Coming to Louisiana from another southern state
Students from the other states in the market pay in-state tuition at a public college that takes part, but only for a degree their own state's public colleges don't offer.
These 13 colleges in Louisiana take part:
- Grambling State University
- Louisiana State University
- Louisiana State University Shreveport
- Louisiana Tech University
- McNeese State University
- Nicholls State University
- Northwestern State University
- Southeastern Louisiana University
- Southern University and A&M College
- Southern University at New Orleans
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- University of Louisiana at Monroe
- University of New Orleans
Going from Louisiana to another southern state
A Louisiana student admitted to such a program in another of these states applies to Louisiana to be certified as a resident. The program search shows which programs are open to Louisiana students.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, Academic Common Market
“is a tuition-savings program for college students in 15 SREB states who want to pursue degrees that are not offered by public institutions in their home state.”
“Students can enroll in out-of-state institutions and pay the institution’s in-state tuition rates for more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate programs.”
“Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Florida and Texas participate only at the graduate level.”
“Once admitted to the institution, contact your state ACM coordinator and complete the ACM application process in your home state to be certified as a state resident.”
Paying the rest
Your SmartTuition plan uses your savings, your 529, your loans and your award letter.
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How we worked these out
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The $6,600 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving over our Louisiana scenarios. Each scenario is a household in Louisiana at one of its colleges. Its income is one of 8 from $45,000 to $200,000, and its savings are none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price each college at the aid it reports for the income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. A saving is the difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest, the federal tax credit and Louisiana's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan. Credit matters: parents with fair credit borrow at a higher rate, which changes the saving.
A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out, as is one at a college that reports no aid for the income. The figure is for a household that lives in Louisiana.
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.