10-yr median earnings
$46,453
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Lake Charles, Louisiana
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public institution in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Graduates earn a median of $46,453 ten years after enrollment at an average net price of $12,493/yr.
- $46,453
- 10-yr median earnings
- $12,493
- Avg net price / yr
- 78.3%
- Acceptance rate
- 49.5%
- 4-yr completion
The verdict
McNeese State University pairs above-median graduate earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 34%
- graduate earnings, US
- 78.3%
- acceptance rate
- 49.5%
- 4-yr completion
- +20%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Master's (L)
McNeese State University is a public institution in Lake Charles, Louisiana enrolling 5,005 students, according to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release. The acceptance rate is 78.3% with an average SAT of 1,087. Graduates earn a median of $46,453 ten years after enrollment, based on U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid data. The average net price after financial aid is $12,493. This profile includes admissions data, graduation rates, program-level earnings, and cost breakdowns to help students compare colleges using official federal data.
Data updated July 2026
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for McNeese State University
McNeese State University operates as a public institution located in Lake Charles, Louisiana (city: small), with a total reported enrollment of 5,005 students of which 6,366 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile's peer group and cost cohort are determined; McNeese State University is categorized as "Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs" under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.
Admissions and cost figures below come from the same annual IPEDS Fall enrollment survey and net-price calculation that every Title IV institution is legally required to submit to the federal government, so the same standardized methodology applies whether comparing a public flagship or a small private college. Net price nets grant and scholarship aid out of the published sticker price, the number financial-aid experts consider the honest comparison point - the table further down breaks that figure out by family income band rather than a single blended average, since what one family actually pays can look very different from what another family pays at the identical school.
The outcomes further down come from federal tax records the U.S. Treasury links to former students who received federal financial aid, not a self-reported alumni survey - an approach that removes response bias but also means graduates who never took federal aid are absent from the earnings figures. Completion and retention rates only count first-time, full-time degree-seeking students, so a school with a large transfer or part-time population can serve those students well without that showing up in these particular metrics. Reading the cost, completion, and earnings figures together, rather than any single one in isolation, is the approach the College Scorecard's own methodology recommends for judging return on investment.
College Value Score
C-
College Value Score
54/100
McNeese State University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings C+
$46,453
10-year median graduate earnings
Net Price B-
$12,493
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Graduation Rate N/A
N/A
6-year completion rate
Debt F
$23,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
75.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
68.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$12,493
After grants and scholarships
4-yr completion
49.5%
First-time, full-time bachelor's
4-year completion vs national average (40%) 49.5%
Higher is better
College ROI Quadrant - McNeese State University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by 4-year graduation rate. Top-left = best ROI; bottom-right = avoid.
How McNeese State University ranks nationally
Where this school's graduate earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
McNeese State University: graduate earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$46,453 Top 34% higher than 66% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · 2024
Quick Facts
5,005
Total enrollment
78.3%
Acceptance rate
1,087
SAT average
49.5%
4-yr graduation rate
$46,453
10-yr median earnings
68.4%
First-year retention
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 78.3% |
| SAT Average | 1,087 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 450 – 588 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 490 – 610 |
| ACT Average | 22 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 18 – 23 |
Share of applicants admitted
Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $8,489 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $9,989 |
| Average Net Price | $12,493 |
Net Price by Family Income
| $0 – $30,000 | $10,482 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $11,067 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $11,640 |
| Over $110,000 | $18,250 |
34.6%
Pell Grant Rate
32.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,000
Median Debt
$244/mo
Monthly Payment
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
63.7%
Female
38.5%
First Generation
Outcomes
49.5%
4-Year Completion Rate
68.4%
Retention Rate
$38,713
Median Earnings (6yr)
$46,453
Median Earnings (10yr)
62.3%
Earning Over $25K
75.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at McNeese State University by graduate earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$120,313 median earnings
- Engineering, General
Engineering, General
$107,319 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$85,928 median earnings
- Psychology, General
Psychology, General
$79,341 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$74,948 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$67,331 median earnings
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$64,834 median earnings
- Finance and Financial Mana…
Finance and Financial Management Services
$62,705 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Guides & Resources
Is College Worth It?
Analyze the financial return of a degree
Debt vs. Earnings by Major
Which fields of study pay off fastest
Colleges With the Best ROI
Schools where graduates earn the most vs. cost
How to Compare Colleges
A data-driven framework for picking schools
Understanding Earnings Data
How College Scorecard measures outcomes
Community College vs. 4-Year
Compare costs, outcomes, and career paths
Related Colleges
Other public institutions in Louisiana
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge, LA
30,594 students Earn $61,251 73.3% admit
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, LA
12,428 students Earn $47,089 87.0% admit
Delgado Community College
New Orleans, LA
11,668 students Earn $33,305
Southeastern Louisiana University
Hammond, LA
9,514 students Earn $46,482 99.3% admit
Baton Rouge Community College
Baton Rouge, LA
8,362 students Earn $34,581
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA
8,312 students Earn $52,279 86.4% admit
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at McNeese State University? ▼
McNeese State University is a public institution in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The acceptance rate is 78.3%. The average SAT score is 1,087. Total enrollment is 5,005 students.
How much do McNeese State University graduates earn? ▼
Graduates of McNeese State University earn a median of $46,453 ten years after enrollment. Six years after enrollment, median earnings are $38,713.
How much does McNeese State University cost? ▼
The average net price at McNeese State University is $12,493. In-state tuition is $8,489 and out-of-state tuition is $9,989. Median student debt at graduation is $23,000.
What is the graduation rate at McNeese State University? ▼
McNeese State University has a 4-year completion rate of 49.5%. The first-year retention rate is 68.4%.
Is McNeese State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at McNeese State University is $23,000, while graduates earn a median of $46,453 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 50% of first-year post-graduation earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 75.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $244.
Sources & methodology
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard's 2024-25 release, PlainCollege tracks 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 individual school-and-program earnings records nationwide.
Every figure on this page is read live from official U.S. federal datasets, as of the 2024-25 release. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - graduate earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
What this means for McNeese State University
- McNeese State University's graduates land in the 34th percentile nationally for 10-year earnings among reporting colleges.
- The average net price after aid is $12,493 - compare it against schools with similar outcomes but a lower cost.Find similar schools that cost less
- See how this school compares to every other college in Louisiana.Browse Louisiana
This profile is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice. Figures are historical averages and may not predict an individual student's outcome - confirm current details directly with the institution before making enrollment decisions.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Institution profiles are compiled directly from College Scorecard, IPEDS, and Treasury earnings-linkage data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.