College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of New Orleans

LAMedium public institution · Overall rank #368 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks University of New Orleans #368 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of New Orleans is a public university in Louisiana where Business, Engineering, and Biological Sciences account for the largest shares of degrees. Affordability is well above average, and access is well above average.

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.

The measured factors adds to the earnings gap, and the unexplained remainder subtracts. Pell recipients finish at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is above average.

The lowest income band pays less than the published cost, and the highest band pays more than the lowest. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the highest-earning fields are in Engineering and Computer Science, which award fewer degrees.

University of New Orleans at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
74.3%
Six-year completion[2]
38.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$56,037

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,222
Median student debt[4]
$18,750
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$15,048

University of New Orleans rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Enrolling 4,638 undergraduates, University of New Orleans is a public university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It sits in the upper quarter among nonprofit four-year institutions (75th percentile).

University of New Orleans admits 74.3% of applicants, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Most applicants receive an offer.

The first-year retention rate is 66.8%, against the median for comparable institutions (peer median) of 73.7%. The six-year graduation rate is 38.0%, against a peer median of 49.1%.

An estimated 34.8% of entrants are not first-time, full-time students. The six-year graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students.

Affordability is the strongest of the four (89th percentile), while return is the weakest (36th percentile). Access and mobility sit close together between them (at the 77th and 74th percentiles).

The distance from the strongest to the weakest is wide, and the four pillars do not move together.

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile for University of New Orleans, at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access and mobility are close behind, in the 77th and 74th percentiles respectively.

Return is the weakest of the four, at the 36th percentile. The shape is a public university where cost and access are the clear strengths, and earnings outcomes are the lowest-scoring pillar.

At University of New Orleans, the middle 50% of SAT scores submitted by enrolled students spanned 935 to 1,241. The middle 50% of ACT scores spanned 17 to 23.

39.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks University of New Orleans #340 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The six-year completion rate for Pell recipients is 45.8%, which is 7.8 percentage points above the rate for the cohort as a whole (38.0%). For mobility, Azimuth ranks University of New Orleans #385 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students.

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

University of New Orleans rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#368

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 74
Access & reach
National percentile: 77
Affordability
National percentile: 89
Return on investment
National percentile: 36

Top-ranked majors

  1. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other#73
  2. Computer Science#109
  3. Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods#110

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of New Orleans briefing

University of New Orleans cost & financial aid[6][7]

The standard budget at University of New Orleans carries a published cost of attendance of $23,431. In-state tuition and fees run $9,172, while nonresidents pay $14,008 in tuition and fees.

Room and board add another $11,292. For aid recipients here, the average net price is $12,384.

Aid covers about 47% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $11,047. That sits $1,684 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks University of New Orleans #160 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 89th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at University of New Orleans is $23,431. Azimuth ranks the university #160 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families earning under $30,000 it averages $11,532, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it averages $13,222, and for those earning over $110,000 it averages $17,504. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,972.

Aid covers about 47% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $12,384 for all aid recipients. That is $1,684 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,750 in federal student loans, $2,479 below the peer median of $21,229. About 76.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $15,048 in Parent PLUS loans. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,222

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of New Orleans

Federal borrowing reaches 76.7% of federal aid recipients at University of New Orleans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $18,750, $2,479 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $15,048 in Parent PLUS loans.

Affordability is the strongest pillar at University of New Orleans. Borrowers who complete carry less debt than peers, but earnings sit below both the peer median and the model's expectation.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,037, at the 36th percentile. That is $1,264 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students, at the 47th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $35,133 on the downside to $83,281 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $56,037.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,750 in federal loans, $2,479 below the peer median of $21,229. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month.

The return pillar sits at the 36th percentile, while affordability is at the 89th percentile.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $15,048. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month.

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

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$18,750
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$15,048

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$213/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$191/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 / University of New Orleans briefing

University of New Orleans career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The return pillar for University of New Orleans is at the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion, the median is $56,037.

That figure lands at the 36th percentile. Against a peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size), the university sits $1,264 below that level.

Completers earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students. That outcome is at the 47th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,019. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,435. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,232.

Federally aided graduates of University of New Orleans who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,037 four years after completing a degree. The median falls $1,264 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That earnings level lands at the 36th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $35,133 on the downside to $83,281 on the upside, with a typical outcome of $56,037.

The median reflects a cohort of 1,208 completers. An estimated 31.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Graduates earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 47th percentile. Both comparisons point the same way.

Federally aided graduates of University of New Orleans who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,037 four years after completion, at the 36th percentile. That median falls $1,264 below the $57,301 typical outcome for comparable institutions (same type and size) overall.

Azimuth ranks the university #943 for return overall among nonprofit four-year institutions nationally. Graduates earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students.

That result sits at the 47th percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions overall. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,019.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,435. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,232.

Bachelor's degrees awarded cluster mainly in Business, Engineering and Biological Sciences, while a minority are in STEM fields (35.6%). Estimated earnings scenarios from that overall program mix run from $35,133 on the downside to $83,281 on the upside.

An estimated 31.8% continue on to graduate study, based on the overall program mix here.

Earnings outcomes spread widely across fields at the university. The downside earnings scenario four years after completion is $35,133, while the upside scenario reaches $83,281.

Those figures come from the program mix and do not describe observed graduate cohorts. Computer Science graduates report the highest program median at $99,548 four years after completion, from 55 degrees awarded.

Electrical Engineering follows at $95,630, with Mechanical Engineering at $91,435. The largest program, Biology, awards 107 degrees and shows median earnings of $52,671.

Affordability is the strongest pillar for University of New Orleans, at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average net price for aid recipients, the price after grants and scholarships, is $12,384, which is $1,684 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $18,750 in federal student loans, $2,479 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $21,229. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $15,048 in Parent PLUS loans. Graduates earn about $2,416 less than the model expects for similar students.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,019
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,435
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$2,416

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 / University of New Orleans briefing

University of New Orleans acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

The University of New Orleans admits 74.3% of applicants, a rate that is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
74.3%
Approximate lower endpoint
935
Reported average
1052
Approximate upper endpoint
1241

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 / University of New Orleans briefing

What are the largest majors at University of New Orleans?[12]

The highest-earning programs at University of New Orleans are in engineering and computer science, and they are not the largest by degrees awarded. Computer Science graduates earn a median of $99,548 four years after completion, from 55 degrees awarded a year.

Azimuth ranks the program #109 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Electrical Engineering (#155) and Mechanical Engineering (#111) follow, with medians of $95,630 and $91,435 from 38 and 40 degrees awarded.

The largest program, Biology, awards 107 degrees and posts a median of $52,671, ranking #237 nationally. The highest-earning program's median is nearly twice that of the largest program. The highest-earning programs award fewer degrees than the largest program.

Business accounts for 26.9% of bachelor's degrees awarded at University of New Orleans, followed by Engineering at 11.7% and Biological Sciences at 10.6%. Azimuth ranks 14 of the university's programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The largest program is Biology, with 107 degrees awarded and median earnings of $52,671 four years after completion. The best-paid program is a smaller one: Computer Science graduates earned $99,548 four years out, from 55 degrees awarded.

Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering follow, with medians of $95,630 and $91,435. The highest nationally ranked program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, at #73 in its field and #1 in Louisiana.

It awarded 80 degrees and its completers earned a median of $49,023 four years after completion.

The degree mix at University of New Orleans leans toward Business, which accounts for 26.9% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Engineering and Biological Sciences follow, at 11.7% and 10.6% respectively.

The university has 14 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 19 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Biology, at 107 degrees awarded a year.

Azimuth ranks it #237 nationally within its field and #3 in Louisiana. Business Administration and Management and Accounting are the next largest, with 99 and 80 degrees awarded.

The highest-ranked program is Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, which Azimuth places #1 in Louisiana within its field. It awards 80 degrees a year and its graduates earn a median of $49,023 four years after completion.

Computer Science is the highest-earning program, with a median of $99,548 from 55 degrees awarded, and it ranks #109 nationally within its field. The strongest programs are concentrated in engineering and computer science, fields that also carry the highest earnings.

Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering graduates earn medians of $95,630 and $91,435, from 38 and 40 degrees awarded. 35.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, and the earnings pattern follows that concentration.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 107 degrees awarded
$52,671
Business Administration, Management and Operations 99 degrees awarded
$56,058
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 80 degrees awarded
$49,023
Accounting and Related Services 80 degrees awarded
$59,301
Psychology, General 75 degrees awarded
$37,747
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft 68 degrees awarded
$28,807

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 / University of New Orleans briefing

What colleges are similar to University of New Orleans?[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 University of New Orleans.

Admissions peerXavier University of Louisiana69.0% admitted
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansXavier University of Louisiana
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$49,328-$6,709 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$17,127+$4,743 vs University of New Orleans · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%69.0%
Explore Xavier University of Louisiana →
Higher-admission alternativeNicholls State University90.8% admitted
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansNicholls State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$51,767-$4,270 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$12,947+$563 vs University of New Orleans · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%90.8%
Explore Nicholls State University →
Nearby alternativeNicholls State UniversityNearby option · LA
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansNicholls State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$51,767-$4,270 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$12,947+$563 vs University of New Orleans · higher cost
Admission rate74.3%90.8%
Explore Nicholls State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus$74,059 earnings
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$74,059+$18,022 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$11,900-$484 vs University of New Orleans · lower cost
Admission rate74.3%74.7%
Explore University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus →
Lower-cost alternativeTrinity International University-Illinois$2,835 average net price
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansTrinity International University-Illinois
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$51,985-$4,052 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$2,835-$9,549 vs University of New Orleans · lower cost
Admission rate74.3%100.0%
Similar profileTexas A&M University-KingsvilleMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of New Orleans
MeasureUniversity of New OrleansTexas A&M University-Kingsville
Peer earnings · 4 years$56,037$56,982+$945 vs University of New Orleans
Average annual net price$12,384$12,090-$294 vs University of New Orleans · lower cost
Admission rate74.3%90.9%
Explore Texas A&M University-Kingsville →

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 is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. 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