10-yr median earnings
$45,454
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Thibodaux, Louisiana
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University is a public institution in Thibodaux, Louisiana. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $12,947
- Avg net price / yr
- $45,454
- 10-yr median earnings
- 54.0%
- 150%-time completion
- 90.8%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
Nicholls State University pairs above-median former-student earnings with open admission.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 38%
- former-student earnings, US
- 90.8%
- acceptance rate
- 54.0%
- 150%-time completion
- +17%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Small
Carnegie: Master's (M)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Nicholls State University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
55/100
Nicholls 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
$45,454
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B-
$12,947
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
54.0%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$22,675
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A
81.2%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C-
76.6%
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
$12,947
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
54.0%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 54.0%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Nicholls 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 completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Nicholls State University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Nicholls State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$45,454 Top 38% higher than 62% 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 · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Nicholls State University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,454 | #1939 of 5103 | 62nd |
| Average net price | $12,947 | #1704 of 5020 | 66th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 54.0% | #2663 of 4858 | 45th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,737 | #786 of 5462 | 86th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
4,737
Undergraduate enrollment
90.8%
Acceptance rate
1,090
SAT average
54.0%
150%-time completion
$45,454
10-yr median earnings
76.6%
First-year retention
How Nicholls State University ranks in Louisiana
State rank among 94 reporting Louisiana colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Nicholls State University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $45,454 | #27 of 94 | 71st |
| Average net price | $12,947 | #36 of 97 | 63rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 54.0% | #49 of 93 | 47th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,737 | #15 of 104 | 86th |
Highest former-student earnings in Louisiana
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamberlain University-Louisiana | $92,405 | $30,791 |
| 2 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans | $78,495 | - |
| 3 | Baton Rouge General Medical Center School of Nursing & School of Radiologic Technology | $75,071 | - |
| 4 | Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport | $74,671 | - |
| 5 | ITI Technical College | $68,342 | $20,850 |
| 6 | Tulane University of Louisiana | $63,268 | $39,949 |
| 7 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | $61,251 | $19,151 |
| 8 | Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University | $59,419 | $18,552 |
| 9 | The Chicago School at Xavier University of Louisiana | $56,899 | - |
| 10 | Loyola University New Orleans | $52,927 | $23,696 |
| 11 | Louisiana Tech University | $52,279 | $11,864 |
| 12 | Xavier University of Louisiana | $52,184 | $17,127 |
| 27 | Nicholls State UniversityThis school | $45,454 | $12,947 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 90.8% |
| SAT Average | 1,090 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 462 – 588 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 472 – 608 |
| ACT Average | 23 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 19 – 24 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Nicholls State University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$10,714 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$10,527 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$12,139 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$17,954 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Nicholls State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $8,149 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $9,242 |
| Average Net Price | $12,947 |
34.1%
Pell Grant Rate
38.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$22,675
Median Debt
$240/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Nicholls State University rose +25.2% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $9,660 in 2013 to $12,091 in 2023, a rise of $2,431 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $9,6602023 · $12,091
Over the same years, enrollment went -16.0% (5,682 → 4,772 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
63.5%
Female
45.8%
First Generation
Outcomes
76.6%
Retention Rate
$38,829
Median Earnings (6yr)
63.8%
Earning Over $25K
81.2%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 54.0% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 76.6% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $38,829 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $45,454 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 63.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 81.2% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $22,675 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $240/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 21 | 951 | $51,645 | $79,428 | $22,540 |
| Master's | 7 | 192 | $69,678 | $120,260 | $30,646 |
| Associate's | 2 | 122 | $61,087 | $79,041 | - |
Top programs at Nicholls State University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$120,260 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$99,776 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$79,428 median earnings
- Mining and Petroleum Techn…
Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians
$79,041 median earnings
- Mining and Petroleum Techn…
Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians
$74,167 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$66,499 median earnings
- Management Information Sys…
Management Information Systems and Services
$65,635 median earnings
- Curriculum and Instruction
Curriculum and Instruction
$56,621 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.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Nicholls State University? ▼
Nicholls State University is a public institution in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The acceptance rate is 90.8%. The average SAT score is 1,090. Undergraduate enrollment is 4,737 students.
How much do Nicholls State University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Nicholls State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $45,454 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $38,829.
How much does Nicholls State University cost? ▼
The average net price at Nicholls State University is $12,947. In-state tuition is $8,149 and out-of-state tuition is $9,242. Median student debt at graduation is $22,675.
What is the graduation rate at Nicholls State University? ▼
Nicholls State University has a 54.0% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 76.6%.
Is Nicholls State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Nicholls State University is $22,675, while former students earn a median of $45,454 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 50% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 81.2% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $240.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student 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).
Where to go next from Nicholls State University
- Compare Nicholls State University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Louisiana side by side.Browse Louisiana
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
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. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.