10 Best Colleges and Universities Near New Orleans, LA (2025)

New Orleans's history as a hub of African American culture as well as Cajun (Acadian-French ancestry) and Creole culture mark it as one of America's most distinctive and memorable cities.

It's home to the pulsating French Quarter, Mardi Gras, Dixieland jazz, Cajun, and Zydeco music, and perhaps the most delicious cuisine America has to offer.

New Orleans has some of the best colleges in Louisiana.

This vibrant, lively, and culturally diverse city of more than a million residents also boasts several well-respected universities and colleges near New Orleans, LA, both public and private.

Featured Colleges in New Orleans, LA

You can find the following universities and colleges in New Orleans, LA.

1. Dillard University

As the state's first historically Black university (HBCU), this private school, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, serves a student body of 1200 students.

About 70% are African American and about 75% are women.

Dillard offers 22 degree programs in the arts, business, humanities, nursing, STEM, and other fields.

It accepts 55% of applicants and boasts high student retention rates.

76% of students receive federal Pell Grants, and 99% receive Dillard grants averaging about $9,000 per student.

The average annual total cost, according to the US Department of Education, is about $35,000 before aid and $19,000 after aid.

2. Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans

The public Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans has undergraduate programs in Nursing and Allied Health Professions:

• Associate of Science in Dental Laboratory Technology
• Bachelor of Science (BS) programs in Cardiopulmonary Science, Dental Hygiene, Medical Technology, and Public Health
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

In 2021-2022, inclusive annual undergraduate tuition and fees were about $9,000 for in-state and $18,600 for out-of-state students.

3. Loyola University

Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit Catholic university that accepts 78% of applicants, and 99% of incoming freshmen receive financial aid.

The average annual cost before aid is $62,000, which drops to $22,000 after aid.

Of Loyola's 5,000 students, 3,000 are undergraduates. They study in degree programs in:

• Arts and Sciences
• Business
• Music and Fine Arts
• Nursing and Health

The university culture, based on Jesuit philosophy, is to focus on educating 'the whole person--mind, body, and spirit--to look for deeper meaning in everything we do.'

4. Southern University at New Orleans

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) is a public historically black university (HBCU).

With half of SUNO's students enrolled part-time, only 14% of students live in campus housing, making this primarily a commuter campus.

With an acceptance rate of 79%, SUNO enrolls approximately 1700 undergrads, of whom 90% are African American. They can choose from 17 degrees, including nine online and three accelerated.

The average annual in-state cost before aid is $21,600 and after aid is $14,300. 54% of students receive Pell Grants.

5. Tulane University

Tulane University, with 8,700 undergraduate students, is an academically elite and highly selective private residential college with a 10% acceptance rate.

95% of students enroll full-time, 54% live on campus, and more than 2/3 of its students are white.

Tulane is not inexpensive. With only 10% receiving Pell Grants, the average annual cost is $81,200 before aid and $42,200 after aid. However, the school has a high graduation rate of 86%.

With over 75 majors and minors, Tulane provides myriad possibilities for your undergraduate experience.

Its interdisciplinary core curriculum includes the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and hard sciences, with an additional first-year seminar.

Tulane encourages undergraduates to pursue double or triple majors across different schools, while also providing academic opportunities such as honors and study abroad.

6. University of Holy Cross

The private, Catholic University of Holy Cross (known until 2016 as Our Lady of Holy Cross) has a 75% acceptance rate and a high retention rate of 76% for first-time undergraduate students enrolled full-time.

Its 775 undergraduate students can choose from among 17 on-campus and online degree programs, many of which have multiple tracks for specialization.

These include the behavioral sciences, business, biology, theology, nursing, health sciences, liberal arts, and general studies.

More than a third of the students are first-generation college students, with 87% of all students receiving grants or scholarship aid and 48% receiving Pell Grants.

The average annual cost before aid is $30,900, while after aid, it drops to $16,400.

7. University of New Orleans

As the largest public university in New Orleans, UNO enrolls close to 6,000 undergraduate students on its 195-acre campus. The acceptance rate is 81%.

The first public university in the South to open as an integrated institution, UNO has long emphasized affordability, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

More than half the student body are students of color, and 55% of undergrads are first-generation college students.

Three out of four students receive financial aid or scholarships. The average annual in-state cost before aid is $27,300 but after aid reduces to an affordable $11,500, with notably low student debt.

8. Xavier University of Louisiana

Xavier is a private, Catholic (Jesuit), and historically black university with a mission to prepare students to assume leadership and service roles in a global society.

With a high (84%) acceptance rate, Xavier's undergraduate student body of 4,860 is predominantly (70%) African American, though the university is open to all.

While Xavier's average annual cost is high before aid, at $60,500, aid brings it down to $31,600.

The undergraduate core curriculum includes broad-based liberal arts and sciences courses. Xavier offers 46 major degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels.

9. Delgado Community College

This public, open-admissions community college offers more than 70 associate degree or certificate programs through the following schools:

• Business
• Construction Arts and Technical Studies
• School of Health Science
• School of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Education
• School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

10. Blue Cliff College (Metairie)

With campuses in Metairie serving over 500 students, the private Blue Cliff College offers career training programs emphasizing practical, hands-on experience.

These include allied health, cosmetology, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), clinical medical assisting, and more.

What Is the Biggest School Near New Orleans, LA?

Delgado Community College is the largest school in the city, serving close to 14,000 students each year, while Tulane is the largest university, with close to 9,000 undergraduate students.

How To Choose the Right College Near New Orleans, LA

A few historical factors have influenced the colleges near New Orleans, LA, to make the city's array of universities so distinctive.

First, New Orleans has long had a majority Black or African American population, currently (2023 statistics) about 58%.

Several of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), now open to all races, remain highly influential.

Second, as a former French and Spanish colony until 1803, Louisiana (and New Orleans) became predominantly Catholic.

The city's educational landscape has an unusually strong Jesuit-Catholic influence.

A third significant factor pervading the city's cultural memory was the devastating Hurricane Katrina that struck New Orleans in the fall of 2005.

As the city was paralyzed and underwater, with homes and facilities in ruins, the universities shut down (some for the entire semester), and the evacuation of the city led to major population shifts that disrupted the education system as well as student enrollment.

In the ensuing years, the universities have re-established themselves, but the memories of the 2005-2006 crisis remain.

Paying for Your Degree Near New Orleans, LA

The universities in New Orleans, in conjunction with federal financial aid, provide extensive assistance for students with financial need.

If you submit your FAFSA form, you can expect to receive significant aid.

Start Your Degree Near New Orleans, LA, Today

With so many schools and degree programs to choose from, you should have no trouble finding a college near New Orleans, LA, that fits your needs and goals.