By Glyn Caddell, BSME · Author of Digital SAT Math Secrets · Tutoring since 2008 — Updated October 9, 2026
Twelve Louisiana colleges with pre-med programs, what they cost, and the test scores of the students they admit.
Two things on this page matter more than the table itself. Louisiana attaches tuition money to four specific test scores through TOPS, and the college with the best medical school placement record in the state sits in the middle of the table rather than at the top.
The table shows ACT alongside SAT, because Louisiana colleges report both and TOPS is written in ACT terms.
Table of Contents
- Louisiana Pre-Med Colleges by Test Score
- The Best Medical School Placement in Louisiana Is Not at the Top of That Table
- Four Test Scores That Pay Louisiana Tuition
- Louisiana Has Three Medical Schools
- What If Your Scores Are Below the Range You Want?
Louisiana Pre-Med Colleges by Test Score
| College | SAT Reading & Writing | SAT Math | ACT composite | Cost of attendance | Undergraduates | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane University | 700 to 750 | 700 to 770 | 31 to 34 | $87,004 | 7,767 | 14% |
| Louisiana State University | 600 to 680 | 580 to 660 | 24 to 30 | $34,705 | 30,594 | 73% |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 570 to 630 | 550 to 610 | 23 to 28 | $24,884 | 12,428 | 87% |
| Louisiana Tech University | 550 to 630 | 550 to 680 | 21 to 27 | $24,280 | 8,312 | 86% |
| Nicholls State University | 472 to 608 | 462 to 588 | 19 to 24 | $23,481 | 4,737 | 91% |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | 500 to 560 | 450 to 553 | 19 to 24 | $40,434 | 2,628 | 69% |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Not reported | Not reported | 18 to 24 | $23,604 | 9,514 | 99% |
| Northwestern State University | 448 to 610 | 418 to 553 | 18 to 24 | $25,431 | 5,519 | 93% |
| LSU Shreveport | 515 to 605 | 485 to 590 | 18 to 24 | $19,461 | 2,153 | 51% |
| McNeese State University | 490 to 610 | 450 to 588 | 18 to 23 | $22,810 | 5,005 | 78% |
| University of New Orleans | 480 to 616 | 455 to 625 | 17 to 23 | $23,431 | 4,638 | 74% |
| Dillard University | 480 to 640 | 488 to 562 | 18 to 22 | $39,202 | 1,063 | 42% |
Each range covers the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted that test. A quarter scored below the lower number, and the top quarter scored at or above the upper one. Being under the lower number does not rule a student out, and being just above it is not as safe as it looks.
Sorted by ACT composite. The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance publishes SAT equivalents for TOPS, which are used in the scholarship section below.
Three things in that table deserve attention.
Louisiana has the widest selectivity spread of any state in this series. Tulane admits 14% of applicants and Southeastern Louisiana admits 99%. Between those two sit colleges at every point on the scale.
Cost separates the state as sharply as selectivity does. Tulane is $87,004, against LSU Shreveport at $19,461 and McNeese State at $22,810. Nine of these twelve colleges cost under $41,000.
Admit rate and score range disagree more here than usual. Dillard University admits 42% and LSU Shreveport 51%, both more selectively than LSU at 73%, while reporting lower score ranges. A sorted score table is not a difficulty ranking.
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Tulane University
Tulane University is a private research university in New Orleans with 7,767 undergraduates, and it runs the oldest medical school in the state.
SAT Reading & Writing 700 to 750, SAT Math 700 to 770, ACT composite 31 to 34. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 750, 770 and 34. Cost of attendance $87,004, with tuition and fees at $68,484. 7,767 undergraduates, 14% admitted.
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University is the state flagship, in Baton Rouge, with 30,594 undergraduates, the largest school on this page.
SAT Reading & Writing 600 to 680, SAT Math 580 to 660, ACT composite 24 to 30. The top quarter scored at or above 680, 660 and 30. Cost of attendance $34,705, with tuition and fees at $12,038 in-state and $29,021 out-of-state. 30,594 undergraduates, 73% admitted.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has 12,428 undergraduates and a substantial nursing and health sciences presence.
SAT Reading & Writing 570 to 630, SAT Math 550 to 610, ACT composite 23 to 28. The top quarter scored at or above 630, 610 and 28. Cost of attendance $24,884, with tuition and fees at $10,672 in-state and $25,598 out-of-state. 12,428 undergraduates, 87% admitted.
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University is in Ruston with 8,312 undergraduates and an engineering and science emphasis.
SAT Reading & Writing 550 to 630, SAT Math 550 to 680, ACT composite 21 to 27. The top quarter scored at or above 630, 680 and 27. Cost of attendance $24,280, with tuition and fees at $10,626 in-state and $25,884 out-of-state. 8,312 undergraduates, 86% admitted.
Its Math range runs higher than its Reading & Writing range at the top end, which fits a technology university.
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University is in Thibodaux with 4,737 undergraduates.
SAT Reading & Writing 472 to 608, SAT Math 462 to 588, ACT composite 19 to 24. The top quarter scored at or above 608, 588 and 24. Cost of attendance $23,481, with tuition and fees at $9,520 in-state and $25,870 out-of-state. 4,737 undergraduates, 91% admitted.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana is a historically Black and Catholic university in New Orleans with 2,628 undergraduates.
SAT Reading & Writing 500 to 560, SAT Math 450 to 553, ACT composite 19 to 24. The top quarter scored at or above 560, 553 and 24. Cost of attendance $40,434, with tuition and fees at $28,650. 2,628 undergraduates, 69% admitted.
Those figures sit in the middle of this table. What Xavier does with the students it admits does not, and that is covered in the next section.
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is in Hammond with 9,514 undergraduates and admits 99% of applicants, the highest rate on this page.
The university does not report SAT data. ACT composite 18 to 24, with the top quarter at or above 24. Cost of attendance $23,604, with tuition and fees at $9,794 in-state and $23,774 out-of-state. 9,514 undergraduates, 99% admitted.
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University is in Natchitoches with 5,519 undergraduates.
SAT Reading & Writing 448 to 610, SAT Math 418 to 553, ACT composite 18 to 24. The top quarter scored at or above 610, 553 and 24. Cost of attendance $25,431, with tuition and fees at $9,946 in-state and $20,062 out-of-state. 5,519 undergraduates, 93% admitted.
LSU Shreveport
LSU Shreveport has 2,153 undergraduates and the lowest cost of attendance on this page. Shreveport is also where LSU Health Sciences Center runs the only MD programme in north Louisiana.
SAT Reading & Writing 515 to 605, SAT Math 485 to 590, ACT composite 18 to 24. The top quarter scored at or above 605, 590 and 24. Cost of attendance $19,461, with tuition and fees at $7,518, the same for in-state and out-of-state students. 2,153 undergraduates, 51% admitted.
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is in Lake Charles with 5,005 undergraduates.
SAT Reading & Writing 490 to 610, SAT Math 450 to 588, ACT composite 18 to 23. The top quarter scored at or above 610, 588 and 23. Cost of attendance $22,810, with tuition and fees at $8,489 in-state and $9,989 out-of-state. 5,005 undergraduates, 78% admitted.
The gap between its in-state and out-of-state tuition is $1,500. Nicholls State’s is $1,093. Louisiana’s public universities charge out-of-state students far closer to the in-state rate than most states do.
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans has 4,638 undergraduates and sits in the city with two of the state’s three medical schools.
SAT Reading & Writing 480 to 616, SAT Math 455 to 625, ACT composite 17 to 23. The top quarter scored at or above 616, 625 and 23. Cost of attendance $23,431, with tuition and fees at $10,274 in-state and $12,974 out-of-state. 4,638 undergraduates, 74% admitted.
Dillard University
Dillard University is a historically Black university in New Orleans with 1,063 undergraduates, the smallest school on this page, and it admits 42% of applicants.
SAT Reading & Writing 480 to 640, SAT Math 488 to 562, ACT composite 18 to 22. The top quarter scored at or above 640, 562 and 22. Cost of attendance $39,202, with tuition and fees at $20,955. 1,063 undergraduates, 42% admitted.
The Best Medical School Placement in Louisiana Is Not at the Top of That Table
Xavier University of Louisiana sits sixth in the table above by ACT composite, admits 69% of applicants, and reports an ACT range of 19 to 24.
It is also reported as the national leader in placing African American students into medical school, and has held that position for decades.
Those two facts belong next to each other because they are the point. Every page in this series sorts colleges by test score. That sort tells you who a college admits. It does not tell you what happens to them afterwards, and Louisiana is where the gap between those two things is widest.
What Xavier does is develop students after admission rather than select them on arrival. Its pre-medical programme runs a committee process, structured science teaching and sustained support through the application cycle. The published placement record is the output of that, not of an admissions filter.
One figure is widely quoted and worth handling carefully. In 1995, medical schools accepted 81 Xavier graduates, approximately two and a half times the number of Black Harvard graduates accepted that year. That comparison is thirty years old. Use it as history rather than as a current claim, and ask Xavier for its recent placement figures if you are weighing the college seriously.
We sell SAT preparation, so here is the honest version of what that means. A score still does real work. It affects admission at selective colleges, and in Louisiana it decides how much tuition money you receive, which is covered next. What it does not do is determine what a college can do with a student once he is enrolled.
Four Test Scores That Pay Louisiana Tuition
Louisiana attaches state money to four specific test scores through the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, known as TOPS. The award pays toward tuition at Louisiana public colleges and universities.
| Award | ACT | SAT | Core GPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOPS Opportunity | 20 | 1030 | 2.50 |
| TOPS Performance | 23 | 1130 | 3.25 |
| TOPS Honors | 27 | 1260 | 3.50 |
| TOPS Excellence | 31 | 1390 | 3.50 |
All four require completion of the TOPS core curriculum and Louisiana residency. The Opportunity threshold is set each year at the previous year’s state average ACT score and never falls below 20.
Three rules in the small print change how a student should plan.
TOPS does not accept superscores. The state requires a composite from a single sitting of either test. A student with a strong Math score from one date and a strong Reading & Writing score from another has a superscore that colleges will use and TOPS will not. Georgia’s Zell Miller scholarship works the same way, and it catches people out every year in both states.
The deadline is the April national test date of your graduation year. A qualifying score achieved in June or July still counts, but the award is reduced by one semester. A score after that does not qualify at all.
The SAT is accepted. Louisiana publishes SAT equivalents for every tier, which is not true everywhere. Kansas’s medical school pathway, for example, names an ACT score and nothing else.
The award amounts are pegged to 2016-17 tuition rates and differ by institution, so the same award is worth different amounts at different colleges. At LSU, the published annual figures run from approximately $7,462 at Opportunity to $12,000 at Excellence. At Southeastern Louisiana the Honors award is approximately $6,452.
The gap from Opportunity to Excellence is 360 SAT points. At LSU that gap is worth approximately $4,500 a year, or approximately $18,000 across four years. A 130 to 250 point improvement takes approximately 80 hours of effective studying based on the students we’ve worked with since 2008, so the arithmetic is worth doing before deciding the test is finished with.
Confirm current thresholds and award amounts with the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, since tiers and amounts change by legislation and the Excellence award is recent.
Louisiana Has Three Medical Schools
Louisiana has three MD programmes and no osteopathic school of its own.
- Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, founded 1834 and among the oldest in the country
- LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans
- LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport, the only MD programme in north Louisiana
One pathway connects a college in the table to a medical school directly. LSU Health New Orleans reviews applicants nominated by Xavier’s Pre-Medical Committee for early acceptance, with nominations submitted by May of sophomore year and up to ten places a year. Louisiana residents who receive conditional acceptance are offered a conditional full four-year scholarship.
The design of that programme is worth noting because it differs from similar ones elsewhere. Students may still apply to other medical schools and are not required to attend LSU Health. Applying elsewhere forfeits the scholarship but not the conditional place. Compare that with the early acceptance programme in Colorado, which bars participants from applying anywhere else at all.
Xavier and Ochsner Health have also announced a joint College of Medicine, which would be the fifth historically Black medical school in the United States. Check its current status directly, since the announcement predates this page.
None of this decides where to do an undergraduate degree. Medical school applications are national, and a student at a Louisiana college without a medical school nearby is not disadvantaged applying to one.
What If Your Scores Are Below the Range You Want?
Being below a school’s published range doesn’t disqualify anyone. A quarter of the students admitted to every school on this list that reports a range scored below its lower number.
In Louisiana the score does three separate jobs, and it is worth keeping them apart.
It affects admission at the selective end. Tulane at 14%, Dillard at 42% and LSU Shreveport at 51% are genuinely competitive. Southeastern Louisiana at 99% and Northwestern State at 93% are not.
It decides TOPS, and that is money rather than access. The thresholds are fixed, published and unforgiving about superscores and deadlines.
It does not determine what a college can do with you afterwards. That is what the Xavier section above is about, and it is the most useful thing on this page.
The number worth aiming for is the upper end of a school’s range, the one the top quarter cleared, rather than the middle. The reasoning behind that is on what SAT score you need for college.
The gap is measurable and so is the work to close it. A 70 to 130 point improvement takes approximately 40 hours of effective studying, and a 130 to 250 point improvement takes approximately 80.
How to improve your SAT score covers the method, including how to work out which topics are actually costing you points. If you don’t have a recent score to compare against either target, a free diagnostic SAT gives you one, broken down by section and by topic.
Should You Take the ACT Instead?
Louisiana reports both tests and accepts both for TOPS, so the choice is open.
Seventeen of the eighteen four-year Louisiana colleges with more than 1,000 undergraduates report an ACT composite and sixteen report SAT sections. TOPS publishes thresholds in both, which several other states do not.
Take whichever you score better on relative to the ranges and the TOPS tiers. One caution applies to both tests equally: TOPS uses a single sitting, so the test you choose is the test you need to have a good day on.
How to Read These Score Ranges
Every range on this page covers the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted that test. The lower number is the 25th percentile and the upper number is the 75th, which means a quarter of admitted students scored at or above it.
Because most colleges are now test-optional, these ranges describe only the students who chose to submit at all. Students with strong scores submit and students with weak ones don’t, so a published range sits higher than the range for everyone who was actually admitted. More on test-optional colleges.
TOPS works differently from any of this. Its thresholds are not percentiles or descriptions of anyone. They are fixed numbers from a single test date, and you either clear them or you don’t.
Pre-Med Programs in Nearby States
Louisiana borders Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi, and TOPS does not travel. The award pays at Louisiana public institutions, so an out-of-state application means giving it up.
See pre-med colleges in Texas, pre-med colleges in Arkansas, and pre-med colleges in Alabama.
Pre-Med Colleges in Other States
We publish the same breakdown for pre-med programs in every state.
See pre-med colleges by state for the full list.
Glyn Caddell
Glyn Caddell holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT and has been tutoring New York City students since 2008. He founded Caddell Prep in 2012 and is the author of Digital SAT Math Secrets: Lessons & Tricks to Quickly Improve to a Perfect 800 on the Math Test, which contains over 900 practice problems and is used in Caddell Prep’s SAT math classes. He is founding president of the Staten Island Technical High School alumni association and teaches every lesson on this site personally.
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