McNeese State University Admission
McNeese State University Undergraduate Program
McNeese State University Application

The Facts

McNeese State University is a moderately sized, public institution that is a part of the larger University of Louisiana system, located in the suburban town of Lake Charles, about 120 miles west of Baton Rouge. The university is home to over 5,800 undergraduate students and approximately 2,000 graduate and part-time professional students that are able to study in one of the six undergraduate schools or the graduate school. These schools are divided into academic sections which include programs in the areas of business, agriculture, engineering, education, film arts, science, liberal arts, as well as nursing. These academic divisions offer students a broad majors in the areas of agriculture, biological science, business, communications and the arts (which includes a surprisingly innovative film program, as well as a renowned broadcasting program), computer and physical science (which includes a unique program in radiological science), education, engineering and environmental design, health professions, and social sciences. McNeese State University offers its students a wide variety of majors in both the liberal arts and preprofessional studies; however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of education, sociology, nursing, and engineering.

Admission to McNeese State University is not particularly competitive; however, the amount of qualified students who apply has been increasing with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, over 2,800 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 2,400 of those students were admitted; of those, about 1,700 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1000 to 1080, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 20 to 28. Additionally, more than 65% of the admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.54.

McNeese University has a pretty high student to faculty ratio of 22:1, and there are many other similarly sized schools that manage to keep this ratio significantly lower. Most of the general education courses are quite anonymous, and held in lecture halls; however, most of the upper level classes are significantly smaller, and allow students plenty of time to participate in hands-on activities.

The Social Scene

The town of Lake Charles is quite small and suburban, and doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment; however, the larger city of Baton Rouge is only about two hours away by car, which many students own. McNeese is home to thirteen national fraternities and sororities, and the Greeks are definitely a big influence on campus social life. The school has somewhat of a reputation for being a party institution, and the majority of students seem to fervently embrace that image. Drinking is probably the most popular mode of social interaction here, but for those students who aren’t into partying, there are also over 95 student groups on campus running the gamut from choir to a school newspaper.

The dating scene is reportedly quite exciting, and the school is surprisingly diverse, as well as teeming with nice Southerners who aim to please...

What’s Good

“People here know how to both work hard and play hard. It’s a pretty good, healthy balance of the two.”

“Even though it’s a state school, the faculty is surprisingly accommodating, and even the administration is pretty darn accessible.”

“The people that live in Lake Charles are really nice to students, which is kind of a rare thing.”

What’s Bad

“If you don’t like to drown your sorrows in a big old keg on the weekends, forget having any sort of social life.”

“The Greeks really dominate the campus. If you aren’t a Greek, you tend to get sidestepped when it comes to leadership positions.”

“The general education requirements are huge, and it takes forever to actually get on to your major.”

Let the Penn Group help you apply to college.

• View our services
• Send a request now
• Read articles about applying to college