---
title: McNeese State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Lake Charles, LA
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $46,453 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $26,345 – $71,043 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $13,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 47% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $22,810 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 66% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.28× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $18,453 | derived |

**47% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $13,000 (≈ 28% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,671 to $96,390 across 25 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $96,390 | $40,664 |
| Engineering, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,056 | $25,554 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,639 | $23,011 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,618 | not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $47,302 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Master's Degree | $47,245 | $35,378 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,414 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $45,565 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $40,269 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,893 | $22,316 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Master's Degree | $39,025 | $30,128 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $38,353 | $36,052 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,474 | $18,683 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,248 | $23,850 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,133 | $27,680 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,790 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,143 | $24,685 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,122 | $31,539 |
| Agriculture, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,681 | $18,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,439 | $23,936 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,654 | $24,377 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,036 | $22,250 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,603 | $16,750 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $24,027 | $16,705 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,671 | $23,615 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore McNeese State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?159717

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/mcneese-state-university-la.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`