Southern University at New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana · Public · 78.9% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 8/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southern University at New Orleans earns a CampusROI score of 8. In-state tuition is $8,054, but the net price of $14,810 exceeds tuition by 84% - a structural warning that fees, room/board, and minimal grant aid push the actual cost dramatically above the published rate. Average earnings six years after entry are just $26,800, climbing to a median $34,042 at ten years; the earnings premium subscore of 5 (raw -0.016) means SUNO graduates earn essentially the same as people with only a high school diploma. The completion rate is 13.1% (subscore 2) - fewer than one in seven entering students graduate. Median debt of $31,000 against $26,800 in early earnings produces a 1.157 debt-to-earnings ratio (subscore 3) and a 999-year payback signal, meaning earnings never recoup the cost. Repayment rates degrade over time, falling from 73% at year one to 52% at year seven. SUNO is an HBCU with 1,055 students and a 41.7% Pell rate; the school's mission to serve the New Orleans Black community is historically significant.
How Southern University at New Orleans scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score8/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.16 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate13.1% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Southern University at New Orleans
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $8,054/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $16,954/yr |
| Average net price | $14,810/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $59,240 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,042 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $31,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $329 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 13.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,055 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $8,054/year ($16,954/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $14,810/year, or roughly $59,240 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $14,771/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $31,000, which works out to about $329 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,800) and comes to 1.16, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $14,771 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | N/A |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $19,360 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 pay $14,771 per year, totaling about $59,084 over four years. Early-career earnings are $26,800 and the debt-to-earnings ratio is 1.157. Pell grants are not closing the gap; the school's pricing structure (net price exceeding tuition) compounds the financial damage to low-income students.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Net price for the $30,001-48,000 and $48,001-75,000 brackets is unreported - null in the data. This data thinness reflects the school's heavily-skewed-low-income enrollment. The $75,001-110,000 bracket pays $19,360 (the highest reported figure). The overall pattern of partial reporting suggests middle-income enrollment is not a significant share at SUNO.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for families above $110,000 is unreported - null in the data. This is likely because SUNO enrolls essentially no high-income students; the financial profile of the school's mission population doesn't include this bracket. For any high-income family considering SUNO, the financial outcomes data include $34,042 in median ten-year earnings.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Southern University at New Orleans with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $42,068 | D |
| Psychology | $39,139 | F |
| Social Work | $49,709 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $44,723 | F |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $44,226 | F |
| Biology | $44,350 | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $47,390 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $44,788 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is SUNO's largest reported program with 41 graduates per year. Year-one earnings of $40,173 climb only to $42,068 at year four - essentially flat. Median debt of $38,319 produces a 0.954 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. The pattern of flat wage growth combined with heavy debt is the structural for-most-students problem at SUNO: even graduates in defensible programs face debt loads that the wages can't service.
Psychology
Psychology produces 41 graduates per year with four-year earnings of $39,139. Median debt of $47,500 produces a 1.214 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. Most psychology bachelor's holders need graduate school to reach competitive wages, but the undergrad debt load here makes that continuation financially perilous.
Social Work
Social Work produces 23 graduates per year with four-year earnings of $49,709 - one of SUNO's higher-earning programs. But median debt of $42,000 yields a 0.845 debt-to-earnings ratio and a D ROI grade. Social work as a profession serves the same low-income communities these students come from; the debt-load mismatch between the field's wages and SUNO's debt accumulation is a structural mission failure.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice produces 23 graduates per year with year-one earnings of $33,494 and four-year earnings of $44,723. Median debt of $45,149 yields a 1.348 debt-to-earnings ratio and an F ROI grade. Louisiana state law enforcement and corrections roles offer stable wages, but the program's debt accumulation simply outpaces the field's wage potential.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts and Sciences produces 22 graduates per year. Year-one earnings of $25,777 climb to $44,226 at year four - the wage growth is real. But median debt of $55,541 produces a 2.155 debt-to-earnings ratio - debt over twice annual income - and an F ROI grade.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 73.1% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 68.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 50.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 52.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southern University at New Orleans’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 78.9% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 410-510 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 410-540 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 15-20 |
| Enrollment | 1,055 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 41.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,898 |
SUNO admits 78.9% of applicants. SAT 25-75 mid-ranges are 410-510 math and 410-540 reading, with ACT 25-75 of 15-20. The 13.1% completion rate correlates directly with the test profile: SUNO is enrolling many students who face structural obstacles to completing a four-year degree, and the institution's support infrastructure is not closing that gap.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern University at New Orleans (this school) | 8 | $14,810 | $34,042 |
| Bethune-Cookman University | 9 | $12,030 | $38,518 |
| Fort Valley State University | 9 | $10,338 | $36,666 |
| Kentucky State University | 9 | $8,040 | $36,382 |
| Virginia Union University | 9 | $13,235 | $38,275 |
| Voorhees University | 8 | $13,335 | $35,339 |
Who Thrives Here
SUNO primarily serves Black students from the New Orleans metropolitan area, with 1,055 total students and a 41.7% Pell rate. The HBCU mission is historically significant for New Orleans's Black community, but the institutional outcomes are deeply concerning: 13.1% completion combined with average earnings of $26,800 at six years means most enrolling students leave without a credential and without the wage premium to service the debt they take on. Strong-fit students would be those with very specific ties to SUNO's heritage, who can self-finance the majority of costs or who are committed to specific programs (social work, business) with workable wage outcomes for completers.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southern University at New Orleans scores 8/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $14,810 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $34,042 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 13.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.16 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 68.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $31,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.16. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Southern University at New Orleans: Common Questions
Is Southern University at New Orleans worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southern University at New Orleans scores 8/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $14,810 a year after aid against $34,042 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southern University at New Orleans cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $14,810 a year, or roughly $59,240 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Southern University at New Orleans graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $34,042 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Southern University at New Orleans?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Southern University at New Orleans. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southern University at New Orleans graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $31,000, against average earnings of $26,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.16. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Southern University at New Orleans?
The six-year graduation rate is 13.1%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.