Louisiana's colleges range from research universities such as LSU in Baton Rouge to small beauty and trade schools in towns like Eunice and Bastrop. This page explains who runs each type of school, where the options cluster across the state, and what to do before you call or visit. Each listing shows the address and phone number we have on file, so you can reach the right campus quickly.

Who Oversees Colleges in Louisiana

Louisiana's public colleges answer to the Board of Regents, a coordinating board established under the state constitution. The Regents set statewide policy, review new degree programs, and recommend funding for public higher education. Daily management belongs to four public systems: the LSU System, the University of Louisiana System, the Southern University System, and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, known as LCTCS.

The listings show how this works in practice. Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans (433 Bolivar Street) and its Shreveport counterpart (1501 Kings Highway) belong to the LSU System and focus on health professions. Louisiana Tech University in Ruston and Grambling State University in Grambling are both University of Louisiana System campuses in Lincoln Parish. Nunez Community College in Chalmette, River Parishes Community College in Gonzales, Louisiana Delta Community College in Bastrop, and Northshore Technical Community College in Bogalusa are part of the LCTCS family.

Not every school is public. Louisiana College in Pineville is a private Baptist institution that has since adopted the name Louisiana Christian University, so try both names when you search. Blue Cliff College, Delta College, Herzing University, Compass Career College, and University of Phoenix operate as private, career-focused schools. The Board of Regents handles state authorization for many private and out-of-state institutions, while the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology oversees beauty schools.

Accreditation matters more than a school's size or name recognition. Degree-granting colleges in Louisiana are typically accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, while career schools often use national accreditors tied to their trade. Accreditation affects your eligibility for federal aid and whether another college will accept your credits later.

Where Colleges Cluster in Louisiana: Metro Hubs and Rural Parishes

Louisiana has parishes rather than counties. Our directory uses the label "county" in its web addresses for consistency across states, so East Baton Rouge Parish County and East Baton Rouge Parish are the same place. The patterns below follow the regions people actually travel between.

Baton Rouge and the Capital Region

East Baton Rouge Parish County has more listings than any other area. Baton Rouge College sits at 1771 North Lobdell Boulevard, and the parish is also home to the flagship campuses of LSU and Southern University. Smaller towns around the capital fill in the gaps. Denham Springs Beauty College serves Livingston Parish from Florida Avenue Southeast, and River Parishes Community College operates at 925 West Edenborne Parkway in Gonzales. Compass Career College is in Hammond, at 42353 Deluxe Plaza, in Tangipahoa Parish.

New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and the Northshore

Orleans County includes the LSU Health Sciences Center campus on Bolivar Street. The city is also known for Tulane, Loyola, Xavier, Dillard, and Delgado. Just across the parish line, Jefferson Parish County has Blue Cliff College-Metairie at 3200 Cleary Avenue, Herzing University-Kenner at 2500 Williams Boulevard, and My Le's Beauty College in Gretna at 601 Terry Parkway. Nunez Community College serves St. Bernard Parish from 3710 Paris Road in Chalmette. North of Lake Pontchartrain, Delta College of Arts & Technology is in Covington and Delta College has a Slidell campus on Gause Boulevard West.

Shreveport-Bossier, Acadiana, and Southwest Louisiana

In the northwest, Caddo Parish County includes LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport. University of Phoenix-Shreveport-Bossier Campus is across the Red River at 350 Plaza Loop Drive in Bossier. In Acadiana, Lafayette County is anchored by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and also lists Academy of Interactive Entertainment at 537 Cajundome Boulevard, a school focused on game and digital media. Louisiana Academy of Beauty serves Eunice in St. Landry Parish, and Stage One-The Hair School is on West College Street in Lake Charles.

Northeast, Central, and Bayou Louisiana

Monroe and West Monroe in Ouachita Parish offer Celebrity Stylist Beauty School (3138 Louisville Avenue) and Northeast Louisiana Technical College (609 Vocational Parkway). Farther east, Louisiana Delta Community College has a Bastrop campus at 729 Kammell Street in Morehouse Parish. In central Louisiana, Blue Cliff College-Alexandria is at 1505 Metro Drive, and Louisiana College is at 1140 College Drive in Pineville, just across the Red River from Alexandria. Down the bayou, Blue Cliff College-Houma operates at 803 Barrow Street in Terrebonne Parish.

Beauty, Trade, and Career Schools Across Louisiana

A large share of our Louisiana listings are not traditional universities. They are short-program schools that train students for a specific license or job, such as cosmetology, medical assisting, or digital design. These programs often take months rather than years, and many accept students without a standard college application process.

That flexibility comes with trade-offs. Cost per credit hour can be higher than at a community college, and not every program qualifies for the same financial aid. Ask whether the school takes part in federal student aid, and whether the program leads to a state license. For beauty programs, the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology sets the training and testing requirements, so confirm the current hours with the board and the school before you pay a deposit.

Distance is the other practical issue. In metro areas like Baton Rouge and Metairie, you can compare several schools in one afternoon. In rural parishes, the nearest campus may be a branch of a larger college, and some courses run only in the evening or online. Ask which building hosts your specific program, because a school's mailing address is not always where classes meet.

What to Check Before You Contact a Louisiana College

A short call or email saves you a wasted trip. Have these items ready before you reach out:

Call during weekday business hours, and ask for admissions or the financial aid office by name. Smaller schools may have one person handling both. If the phone number on our listing does not connect, check the school's own website for a newer number, since career schools sometimes move or merge.

Finally, remember that Louisiana weather affects the academic calendar. Hurricane season runs from June through November, and campuses on the coast and in the New Orleans area have closed for extended periods after major storms. Ask each school how it communicates closures and continues instruction when a storm hits.

Public colleges and universities in Louisiana offer residents access to affordable higher education, professional certifications, and workforce training. The Louisiana state legislature oversees funding and policy for public institutions, while individual governing boards manage each campus.

Colleges locations are available in 41 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 30 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, reflecting the presence of major university campuses and community college districts serving large student populations.

Prospective students in Louisiana should research in-state tuition rates, available degree programs, and financial aid options at public institutions, as these factors vary significantly between community colleges and four-year universities.

Colleges by Counties

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Students in Louisiana applying to public colleges and universities should complete the FAFSA as early as possible to maximize eligibility for federal and state financial aid. Many Louisiana institutions also offer state-specific grant programs with additional eligibility criteria.

Browse Colleges by county across Louisiana to find the nearest location.

Paying for College and Searching by Parish in Louisiana

Cost and credit transfer shape most college decisions here. State aid runs through the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, usually called LOSFA, which administers the TOPS scholarship program and other state awards. Federal aid starts with the FAFSA, and many schools set priority dates well before classes begin. File early, and keep copies of everything you submit.

Rural access is a real factor. A student in Morehouse Parish may find the nearest campus is the Louisiana Delta Community College site in Bastrop, while someone in the northeast has more choices in Monroe and West Monroe. Browse Ouachita Parish County to compare the schools in that area side by side. Students in Lincoln Parish will find both Louisiana Tech and Grambling State within a short drive of each other.

The parish system also affects how you search. State agencies use parish names, while some databases and maps label them counties. If a search by parish returns little, try searching by city instead. A campus in Slidell, Hammond, or Covington may sit in a parish you did not expect, and a school with "New Orleans" in its marketing may actually be in Metairie or Kenner.

Before you enroll anywhere, ask for a written cost sheet that lists tuition, fees, books, and supplies. Compare it against at least one public option nearby.

Public colleges fall under the Louisiana Board of Regents, which coordinates policy and approves programs. Each public campus also belongs to one of four systems: LSU, University of Louisiana, Southern University, or the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Private and for-profit schools, such as the Blue Cliff College campuses in Metairie, Houma, and Alexandria, need state authorization to operate, and the Board of Regents handles that for many of them. Beauty schools like Louisiana Academy of Beauty in Eunice also answer to the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology. If you have a complaint, start with the school, then contact the agency that oversees that type of institution.

Start with the school's own website, then verify the claim independently. The U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator lists each institution's accreditor and federal aid status. For degree-granting colleges, you can also search the accreditor's own directory, which for most Louisiana universities is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Career schools may be accredited by a national agency instead. Ask the admissions office which accreditor covers your exact program, because some trades also require approval from a state licensing board before you can sit for an exam. Get the answer in writing.

TOPS, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, is Louisiana's state scholarship program, run by LOSFA. It is designed for Louisiana residents who meet academic requirements and attend eligible Louisiana institutions, and it includes a TOPS Tech award for technical and career programs. Eligibility depends on high school coursework, grades, and test scores, and the rules can change, so read the current requirements on the LOSFA website. Most students also file the FAFSA for federal aid, and deadlines vary. Ask each college's financial aid office whether it participates in TOPS before you count on the money.

Yes, and it is a common route. Community colleges in the LCTCS, such as Nunez in Chalmette and River Parishes in Gonzales, offer general education courses designed to transfer to four-year campuses like Louisiana Tech or Grambling State. Louisiana has transfer degree options and statewide course-matching tools, but acceptance still depends on your major and the receiving school. Meet with an advisor at both campuses before choosing classes, ask for a written degree plan, and keep your syllabi. Credits from short career programs are less likely to transfer, so ask about that before you enroll.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and storms such as Katrina in 2005 and Ida in 2021 closed campuses for weeks in the New Orleans area and along the bayous. Schools usually announce closures by text alert, email, and their websites. Before enrolling, ask how the school handles online instruction after a storm, refunds, and make-up days. Keep digital copies of your transcripts, financial aid records, and enrollment agreement. If you evacuate, contact your instructors and the financial aid office promptly, since attendance and aid rules can be affected by extended closures.

Several listings, including Celebrity Stylist Beauty School in Monroe, Denham Springs Beauty College, and My Le's Beauty College in Gretna, train students for state licensure. Confirm with the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology that the school is approved and how many training hours the license requires. Then ask for the total cost including kits and fees, the schedule options, how many graduates pass the state exam, and whether federal aid is available. Visit during class hours so you can watch the student salon in action, and compare at least two schools within driving distance before you sign anything.