I am going to show you what those numbers say: who gets in, how much it costs, who stays, and who graduates. Not to tell you whether Tulane is “the right one” for your family—an article cannot decide that—but so that when the time comes to decide, you do so with the entire path in view, not just the sign at the entrance.
What kind of school it is
Tulane is classified among the universities with the highest level of doctoral research activity in the country. It is a four-year, private, nonprofit, primarily residential school: in the most recent period measuring this, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-operated housing, and at least half studied full time. It offers programs through the doctoral level, although that is a general institutional fact—it does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in goes that far. Confirm that by asking about the exact program.
In the system that classifies universities by how selective their admissions are, Tulane falls into the most selective group. Pay attention to that word: “most selective” describes whom it admits, not how well it teaches. Those are different things, and it is worth not confusing them.
Tulane does not appear on any of three special lists: it is not a historically Black college or university, it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 do have at least one of those three designations. Tulane’s absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and whether your child can speak with someone who is already studying there.
Where it is and what that means for daily life. Tulane is in New Orleans, Louisiana, within Orleans Parish, in the New Orleans-Metairie metropolitan area. It is a large city with a population of 250,000 or more. That does not tell you how to get to campus or what living options are nearby—you have to ask those questions yourself. If your child plans to live at home, drive the route on a weekday at the time of the scheduled classes. The travel time shown on a map is almost never the actual travel time.
A large community, and a small community within it
Tulane reported enrollment of 13,078 students in the official fall count. It is a large school—the government places it in the band between 10,000 and 19,999 students—and compared with 941 similar selective private schools, it is among the largest: no more than one in ten schools in that group has more students.
But that large number hides something important: 8,077 are undergraduates and 5,001 are graduate students. If your child is entering an undergraduate degree program, the number that matters is 8,077, not the total of 13,078. A substantial part of this school consists of people who already completed a degree and returned for another one.
Within that undergraduate population, 11 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with 941 similar selective private schools that report this information, Tulane ranks above the midpoint of the group but below the highest quartile. Put plainly: there are few Latino students here. That does not take the school off your child’s list, but during the visit it is worth asking what specifically exists for Latino students—a student organization, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
There are more women than men among undergraduates: 61 out of every 100. And there are almost no adult students—only 4 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old. This is a campus of traditional-age, young students who recently finished high school.
How the academic year works
The year is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Tulane accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it grants credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam at every score. The data do not say what score is required or whether those credits will count toward your child’s specific degree program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling—do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for the academic offerings: between July 2022 and June 2023, Tulane awarded 2,054 bachelor’s degrees across 24 fields of study. Business and management was the field that awarded the most degrees, accounting for 28 out of every 100 degrees that year—a notable share, but no single other area accounts for the entire remainder. Compared with 942 similar schools, Tulane ranks in the quartile with the greatest variety of fields of study represented in its offerings. It is a broad range of offerings. But “24 fields with a row in the report” does not mean 24 majors in the current catalog or guarantee that the program your child wants has room or is strong there. Verify the exact program.
One figure that often draws attention is the student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, one of the lowest reported in this census, placing Tulane in the lowest quartile among 941 similar schools. It is an institution-wide aggregate. It does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes or how much individual attention your child will receive. Ask about that directly before enrolling.
Tulane also reports structured opportunities outside the classroom: study abroad, undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, and teacher-certification preparation pathways, including state approval of the program.
The entrance: long, demanding, and narrow
This is where it helps to sit down and take your time, because several pieces move together.
Tulane does not have open admissions. Of the nine considerations reviewed in this count, it marks six as required: high school record, GPA, the required curriculum, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. It is a long application—the kind that is put together over time, not in one night. The good news: the published undergraduate application fee is $0.
There is one factor your child cannot control: the university reports that it considers whether a family member previously studied there. If that is not the case for your child, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend it on what is within your control.
Now for the hard numbers. In the 2023 cycle, Tulane received 27,936 first-time applications and offered admission to 4,077 applicants. That is 15 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, Tulane is among those that admit the smallest shares: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, accepted a higher percentage of their applicants.
I want to say this as clearly as possible because it matters: a low acceptance rate does not mean a school is better, and a high one does not mean it is worse. It measures how many offers were made relative to how many people applied. Nothing more. Having schools on both sides of that divide on your child’s college list—some highly selective, others that admit most applicants—is not a concession. It is a strategy.
Of those who receive an offer, about half—46 out of every 100—ultimately enroll at Tulane. The other half, even though they were admitted, choose another path. That percentage does not measure quality or satisfaction; it only counts who enrolled that fall. When admission letters arrive from several schools, this figure does not decide anything. Put the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding tests: the SAT and ACT are optional. Only 14 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted an SAT score, and among those students, the middle half scored between 690 and 750 in reading and writing and between 700 and 760 in mathematics. Those figures describe students who enrolled and submitted scores—not all applicants—and they do not prove that the score was decisive. That 690 is not a minimum. That 750 is not a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: there are few. Of the cohort that entered in 2017, only 4 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing their program here. Compared with similar schools, Tulane is on the low side for students leaving. The fact that few leave does not mean everyone who stays graduates—that is a separate calculation, which we examine later.
The list price, and why it is not your price
At Tulane University of Louisiana, among 48 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $20,957. Among 89 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $26,839; among 275 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $58,219. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $37,262 between the average for the lowest-income band of 48 students and the average for the highest-income band of 275 students. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $50,631.
Even after grants and scholarships were deducted, the average net price for the lowest-income families was $20,957 in the 2022-23 academic year. If that number does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what governs.
Grants, loans, and who pays for what
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Tulane, 64 receive some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—a grant or scholarship. That is most students, but not all. Among those who receive it, the annual average is $32,301. Compared with similar schools, Tulane falls in the quartile where aid reaches fewer students.
The federal Pell Grant, reserved for low-income families, reaches only 10 out of every 100 students. That means at least 54 out of every 100 students who receive aid get it from another source—not Pell.
$32,301 is real money, but it is not a price. What determines affordability is not the size of the discount but the number left afterward: the net price. That is the figure to request from each school and compare across schools.
Regarding federal loans, there is something worth emphasizing strongly because it runs counter to what you might expect from such an expensive school: only 21 out of every 100 Tulane undergraduate students received a federal student loan in the 2022-23 year. Most did not borrow, at least not through this route. Compared with similar schools, Tulane is among those where the fewest students use federal loans.
Those who did borrow averaged $2,536 for the year—a relatively low amount and one of the lowest figures among comparable schools. But be careful: not taking out a loan does not mean someone had enough money. The difference may have been covered by a grant or scholarship, work, family savings, or another type of debt not captured by this report—including Parent PLUS loans signed by parents, which are not included in this calculation. And this figure is for a single year, not the cumulative debt a student has upon graduation.
Tulane also offers an installment tuition payment plan and participates in a Promise program to help manage costs.
Campus life: housing, athletics, ROTC, and support
Tulane does have institution-controlled housing, with a reported maximum capacity of 4,221 students. It does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there—but that does not mean no specific program or year has such a requirement. Ask about the exact rule that applies to your child’s situation, this year’s rate, and whether a space is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list.
It also offers meal plans, with the number of meals varying by the plan selected.
Tulane marked all three ROTC branches: Army, Navy, and Air Force. That is uncommon—of the 3,012 universities in this directory, only 135 mark all three. But the fact that a branch is marked does not prove that its program is offered on this specific campus, how many spaces are available, or whether a scholarship is offered. Ask about each branch separately, by name, before building a plan around this.
In athletics, Tulane competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, not with other athletic associations. This information does not tell you the division in which each specific sport competes or whether it offers athletic scholarships. Ask the coach of the sport your child is interested in directly, and get the answer in writing.
Regarding distance education: Tulane offers it at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, but only 4 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes at a distance. The other 96 take at least one class in person. The institution also reports offering at least one program in which all required courses can be completed at a distance, although the data do not confirm whether that specific program is at the undergraduate level. Confirm it by major.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceed the government’s reporting threshold of $100,000. It has physical and digital materials and interlibrary lending. That is the baseline measured by the government—it does not guarantee access to databases specific to your child’s major. Ask using the program’s name.
Reported services include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students and graduates, on-campus child care, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military families, and a services page for students with disabilities.
Do they stay? Do they graduate?
This is where Tulane shows one of its strongest figures, and it is worth seeing clearly.
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022—1,843 first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students—1,740 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 94 out of every 100. Compared with 930 similar schools, Tulane is among those retaining the largest shares of their entering cohorts: nine out of ten schools in the group, or more, retained an equal or smaller proportion.
That figure does not distinguish how many were still studying from how many had already graduated unusually quickly, nor does it tell you what happened to the other 6 percent who were not included in the count.
And for graduation, the figure is notable: among those who entered a bachelor’s degree program in 2017—full-time students who had never previously attended another university—89 out of every 100 graduated with a degree within six years. In concrete numbers: 1,692 out of 1,903. By four years, the figure was already 82 out of every 100—just 7 points below the six-year figure. Compared with 920 similar schools, Tulane is among those graduating the largest shares: nine out of ten schools in the group, or more, report an equal or smaller proportion.
I want to be honest with you about what this means and what it does not. A high percentage like this describes what happened to the cohort that entered that school in 2017. It is not a promise about your child. What is within your family’s control is making sure your child enters with credits in order, knows from the first semester who the academic advisor is, and understands the course-registration calendar for the major.
There is one more figure, looking farther ahead: following a cohort that entered between 2015 and 2016—2,251 students, combining first-time students and those who already had prior college experience—by the eight-year mark, 77 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Tulane. Compared with 935 similar schools, Tulane ranks in the highest quartile.
But within that same cohort, there is a difference worth naming plainly: among students who received a Pell Grant, only 63 out of every 100 graduated within eight years, 16 points below the group that did not receive Pell. Whether your family qualifies for Pell today does not determine your child’s outcome. But if that is your situation, ask the school candidly what specifically is available for those students: an assigned advisor, emergency aid, and whether institutional grants and scholarships are renewed each year. And ask for the answer in writing.
What you already know, and what is up to you
None of these numbers decides anything for you. Your child is responsible for the effort, grades, essay, and decision about which major to pursue. You are responsible for the money, the FAFSA, the financial aid letter, and asking the questions this article cannot answer for you: how much you will actually pay, what exists for your child’s community on that campus, and whether the program of interest is strong there.
Bring this information together with what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single number.
Source note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, with data corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent Tulane University of Louisiana or the United States government; this article is not a substitute for the official financial aid letter or direct communication with the university.