Enrollment trends in Louisiana’s higher education institutions 

Across the state of Louisiana, there have been fluctuations in enrollment in public higher education institutions, with some schools experiencing different enrollment trends compared to others for various reasons. These include demographics, financial aid and national disaster factors. 

The “Higher Education State Fact Book” by the Louisiana Board of Regents for the Academic Year (AY) 2023-2024 collated enrollment data for all state public higher education institutions that fall under the Louisiana Board of Regents. 

These include campuses under the Louisiana State University (LSU) System, Southern University (SU) System, University of Louisiana (UL) System as well as the Louisiana Community and Technical College (LCTC) System. 

The Louisiana State University System as a whole has seen an overall unwavering increase in the “total annual unduplicated headcount,” from 47,916 in AY 2014-15 to 77,973 in AY 2023-24. 

The largest public university in Louisiana, Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College, or Louisiana State University (LSU), has been on the rise, with the “total annual unduplicated headcount” going from 32,188 in the AY 2014-15 to 48,091 in the AY 2023-24. 

A large component that has contributed to LSU’s increasing enrollment rates is the school’s increased recruitment efforts outside of Louisiana. The percentage of students from out-of-state rose from 19.1% in Fall 2014 to 33.7% in Fall 2023 while the percentage of students from Louisiana dropped from 75.6% in Fall 2014 to 62.2% in Fall 2023. 

According to NOLA.com, “LSU has ramped up out-of-state recruitment to broaden its pool of high-achieving applicants, raise revenue and boost the school’s national profile.” 

LSU Alexandria, LSU Eunice and LSU Shreveport have also all had a rise in enrollment, with LSU Shreveport experiencing the greatest increase in the “total annual unduplicated headcount,” from 5,193 in AY 2014-15 to 14,300 in AY 2023-24. The percentage of out-of-state students also rose from 10.7% in Fall 2014 to 55.5% in Fall 2023, while the percentage of students from Louisiana dropped from 87.1% in Fall 2014 to 40.6% in Fall 2023. 

Looking at the University of Louisiana System, there has been an overall decrease in the “total annual unduplicated headcount,” from 100,146 in AY 2014-15 to 95,379 in AY 2023-24. 

The campuses under the UL System that have seen a rise in enrollment are Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University and Southeastern Louisiana University. 

On the other hand, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of New Orleans have seen a drop in enrollment. 

Northwestern State University and University of Louisiana at Monroe’s enrollment numbers have been fluctuating, but the overall trend has remained somewhat stagnant. 

A school that has suffered a prominent impact on enrollment is the University of New Orleans (UNO), which has been experiencing a years-long slump owing to the impact from Hurricane Katrina. According to the Louisiana Illuminator, “There are 5,670 students enrolled at the university this semester, UNO President Kathy Johnson said in a campuswide email this week. The count is down about 12% from a year ago.” 

“The decrease in enrollment at UNO has spanned two decades. The school had a student body of around 17,000 before Hurricane Katrina, with an immediate drop to around 6,000 after the storm.” The Louisiana Illuminator also wrote that UNO is preparing for its transition back to the LSU System, after being moved to the UL System 14 years ago. “Lawmakers and university officials hope the transfer will have a positive impact on enrollment. Despite national trends of falling enrollment, every school in the LSU System has reported increasing, often record-breaking enrollment over the past several years.” 

UL Lafayette’s enrollment has been steadily declining in the past decade, due to reasons like COVID-19, although numbers have been picking up in recent years. According to the University’s Office of Institutional Research census enrollment data, the University’s enrollment dropped from 17,519 in 2016 to 15,219 in 2022. However, the enrollment gradually rose to 15,665 in 2024. 

At the time that this story was written, the official census enrollment data from the University for the year 2025 had not been released. An in-depth analysis on the recent increase in enrollment will be published.