College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Nicholls State University

LAMedium public institution · Overall rank #580 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Nicholls State University ranks #580 in the Azimuth composite, with affordability as its strongest and mobility as its second.

Who it’s a good fit for

Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where Business and Health Professions lead the degree mix. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures and a subtraction to the remainder it cannot explain.

So the model attributes more of the earnings picture to what it cannot account for than to what it can. Affordability is well above average, and the for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost.

Pell students complete at a rate that trails the overall cohort, and mobility is above average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and the largest programs are not the best-paid ones.

A student drawn to Business should go in knowing that Business Administration and Management graduates earn less than those from Nursing.

Nicholls State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
90.8%
Six-year completion[2]
53.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$51,767

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$12,139
Median student debt[4]
$22,675
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$11,428

Nicholls State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana, enrolling 4,737 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 90.8% of applicants, a rate that is close to the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Among full-time first-year students, 76.6% return for a second year, and 53.8% finish within six years.

Both figures run ahead of the medians for comparable institutions, which are 73.7% and 49.1%. An estimated 16.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year graduation rate describes a majority of the student body but not everyone who studies here.

The four pillars that make up the composite are spread out. Affordability is the strongest and return is the weakest. Mobility and access sit in between.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile for Nicholls State University, at the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility follows at the 69th percentile, and access at the 57th percentile.

Return is the weakest of the four, at the 31st percentile. The shape is a public university where cost and mobility sit well above the return pillar, and the reader should weigh that trade-off directly.

Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50% fell between 934 and 1,196. ACT submitters posted a middle 50% of 19 to 24.

Pell Grants reach 34.1% of undergraduates. The access pillar draws on that Pell share.

Azimuth places Nicholls State University at #636 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients finish at 41.3%, a level 12.5 percentage points below the entering cohort's overall rate (53.8%).

For mobility, Azimuth ranks Nicholls State University #450 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Nicholls State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#580

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 69
Access & reach
National percentile: 57
Affordability
National percentile: 81
Return on investment
National percentile: 31

01 / Nicholls State University briefing

Nicholls State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Nicholls State University is $23,481. In-state tuition and fees are $8,149, out-of-state tuition and fees are $9,242, and on-campus room and board is $11,412.

At the university, the average net price is $12,947. Aid reduces the published sticker price by $10,534 on average.

The average net price sits $1,121 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #268 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 81st percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Nicholls State University is $23,481. Azimuth ranks the university #268 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,714, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,139, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $17,954. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,240.

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,947, which is $1,121 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $22,675 in federal student loans. That is $1,446 above the $21,229 peer median.

84.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $11,428.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $258 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,139

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Nicholls State University

Most undergraduates at Nicholls State University borrow: 84.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $22,675.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, so the university's median sits $1,446 above it. Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $11,428.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,767, at the 23rd percentile nationally. That figure is $5,534 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students, at the 48th percentile. The earnings scenarios, estimated from Nicholls State University's program mix, range from $42,914 on the downside to $73,840 on the upside.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,675 in federal loans. That is $1,446 above the peer median of $21,229, and if repaid over ten years it corresponds to an estimated payment of $258 a month.

The return picture is mixed: earnings sit below the peer median and slightly below the model's expectation, while debt runs above the peer median. The affordability pillar, at the 81st percentile, is the stronger side of the ledger here.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,428. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $258 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,675
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$11,428

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$258/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$145/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Nicholls State University briefing

Nicholls State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 31st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,767, in the 23rd percentile.

That is $5,534 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 48th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,251.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,114. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $413.

Nicholls State University graduates earn a median of $51,767 four years after completing a degree, measured among 1,240 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That figure is $5,534 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, put typical earnings at $51,767, with a downside scenario of $42,914 and an upside scenario of $73,840.

An estimated 29.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The median earnings of Nicholls State University graduates are reported below. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,767, at the 23rd percentile.

That figure sits below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $5,534. Azimuth ranks the university #1,015 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students. The gap against the model's expectation lands at the 48th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,251. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,114.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $413. The program mix points to a wide range of outcomes.

Estimated earnings scenarios run from $42,914 on the downside to $73,840 on the upside. An estimated 29.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: the upside of $73,840 is well above the downside of $42,914. These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Nursing graduates earn a median of $79,428 four years after completion, from 135 degrees awarded. Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians follows at $74,167, with 15 degrees awarded. Accounting graduates earn $66,499, from 37 degrees awarded.

Graduates of Nicholls State University earn about $1,863 less than the model expects for similar students. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $22,675 in federal student loans.

That is $1,446 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions. It corresponds to an estimated payment of $258 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,428 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$1,251
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$3,114
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$1,863

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Nicholls State University briefing

Nicholls State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Nicholls State University admits 90.8% of applicants, a rate that sits close to the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Most applicants receive an offer.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
90.8%
Approximate lower endpoint
934
Reported average
1090
Approximate upper endpoint
1196

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Nicholls State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Nicholls State University?[12]

Nursing is the standout for earnings among the largest programs at Nicholls State University, with a median of $79,428 four years after completion. It is also the second-largest program, awarding 135 degrees a year.

The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awards 142 degrees and reports a more moderate median of $54,927. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies and Psychology sit at the lower end of the range, at $43,992 and $43,011 respectively.

A smaller technical program, Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians, reaches $74,167 from just 15 degrees awarded. The spread between that figure and the more moderate earnings of the largest programs shows how much field of study matters for outcomes here.

Nicholls State University awards bachelor's degrees across 19 fields with published earnings data. Business accounts for 24.8% of degrees awarded, and Health Professions follows at 23.1%.

The two families together make up nearly half of all bachelor's degrees. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 142 degrees a year, with median earnings of $54,927 four years after completion.

Nursing is nearly as large, awarding 135 degrees, and its completers earn a median of $79,428 four years after completion — the highest figure among the university's programs. The best-paid programs outside of nursing are much smaller.

Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians awards 15 degrees a year and its completers earn $74,167, the only program here to exceed the national median for its field. Accounting and Management Information Systems and Services follow, with earnings of $66,499 and $65,635 from 37 and 30 degrees a year respectively.

Nicholls State University awards the largest share of its bachelor's degrees in Business, at 24.8%, and Health Professions, at 23.1%. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies is the third-largest family, at 12.1%.

The university has 19 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, with 142 degrees awarded.

Its graduates earn a median of $54,927 four years after completion, which is 0.81x the national median for the field. The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $79,428, from 135 degrees awarded a year.

Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians is a much smaller program, with 15 degrees awarded, and its graduates earn $74,167. Its graduates earn 1.02x the national median for the field.

The highest-earning programs include both large and small ones, while the third-largest, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, has median earnings of $43,992. Across all fields, 12.5% of degrees are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 142 degrees awarded
$54,927
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 135 degrees awarded
$79,428
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 128 degrees awarded
$43,992
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 97 degrees awarded
$49,343
Psychology, General 88 degrees awarded
$43,011
Biology, General 47 degrees awarded
$45,142

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Nicholls State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Nicholls State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Nicholls State University.

Admissions peerSoutheastern Louisiana University99.3% admitted
Comparison with Nicholls State University
MeasureNicholls State UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana University
Peer earnings · 4 years$51,767$50,215-$1,552 vs Nicholls State University
Average annual net price$12,947$13,154+$207 vs Nicholls State University · higher cost
Admission rate90.8%99.3%
Explore Southeastern Louisiana University →
Nearby alternativeSoutheastern Louisiana UniversityNearby option · LA
Comparison with Nicholls State University
MeasureNicholls State UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana University
Peer earnings · 4 years$51,767$50,215-$1,552 vs Nicholls State University
Average annual net price$12,947$13,154+$207 vs Nicholls State University · higher cost
Admission rate90.8%99.3%
Explore Southeastern Louisiana University →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette$58,638 earnings
Comparison with Nicholls State University
MeasureNicholls State UniversityUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
Peer earnings · 4 years$51,767$58,638+$6,871 vs Nicholls State University
Average annual net price$12,947$13,530+$583 vs Nicholls State University · higher cost
Admission rate90.8%87.0%
Explore University of Louisiana at Lafayette →
Lower-cost alternativeTrinity International University-Illinois$2,835 average net price
Comparison with Nicholls State University
MeasureNicholls State UniversityTrinity International University-Illinois
Peer earnings · 4 years$51,767$51,985+$218 vs Nicholls State University
Average annual net price$12,947$2,835-$10,112 vs Nicholls State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.8%100.0%
Similar profileNortheastern State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Nicholls State University
MeasureNicholls State UniversityNortheastern State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$51,767$50,752-$1,015 vs Nicholls State University
Average annual net price$12,947$12,710-$237 vs Nicholls State University · lower cost
Admission rate90.8%99.6%
Explore Northeastern State University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings