The Value of an Education at McNeese

For over 75 years, McNeese State University has been trusted and respected as an institution of innovation and academic excellence. Ranked as one of the top public universities in the United States and one of the finest regional universities in the South, our university is also recognized as having one of the best returns on investment for tuition and high average starting salaries for its graduates.

Our low tuition rates, combined with high-quality curricula developed and taught by experienced faculty, plus a thriving on-campus community, means that students receive a high value education for a fraction of the cost of larger universities. With over 100 undergraduate academic programs and 36 graduate degrees to choose from, a thriving athletics tradition and vibrant campus life, McNeese offers all the benefits of a large university with a personalized touch.

Located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, McNeese serves as an economic and workforce development partner Southwest Louisiana employers. Located in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, McNeese provides well-qualified employees the local petrochemical, agricultural and hospitality industries, as well as hospitals and public and private schools throughout SWLA. Our graduates also go on to successfully start their own businesses, from law offices to veterinary practices.

But our impact stretches beyond the SWLA community. Throughout the U.S. and abroad, McNeese alums are changing lives and making valuable contributions. Graduates have gone on to become successful CEOs and lawmakers, pioneering doctors and scientists, groundbreaking entertainers and professional athletes, and award-winning artists and authors.

Interested in Making McNeese your first choice? Schedule a campus visit, or get started on your career and apply today!

Hear it From Them

At McNeese, studying literature within the framework provided by the College of Liberal Arts taught me about the arts and about the world I had yet to experience. It ignited my curiosity and set me on a course to explore the world through travel and through continued exposure to the arts. Whether my journeys were fueled by Alice Walker, Mark Twain, Jane Austen, or any number of writers and artists (It’s impossible to have a favorite!), those journeys taught me so much; they helped me appreciate people, our many distinct cultures as well as see how fundamentally connected we all really are.

Pam Breaux, President and CEO of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) in Washington D.C.

“The spirit of storytelling is alive and well in Louisiana—in fact, amazing tales and powerful personal histories were shared as freely as Mardi Gras king cake. The landscapes of Louisiana are the richest I recall, and the narrative of that place has become intertwined with my own. It’s hard to imagine a more inspiring place to be a writer.”

Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction for The Orphan Master’s Son