Louisiana's oldest continuously occupied higher education site, serving 6,300+ students across 7 campuses with 100+ degree programs.
Northwestern State offers over 100 degree programs across undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. The university is particularly recognized for nursing and allied health education, with the Shreveport campus housing Louisiana's oldest state-supported nursing school. NSU hosts the Louisiana Scholars' College, Louisiana's designated public honors college in liberal arts and sciences, offering small seminar-style classes and individualized mentorship. Graduate programs span education, health and human services, arts and sciences, and technology innovation, with flexible online and on-campus options.
The main campus in Natchitoches occupies 916 acres on historic ground, featuring the iconic three columns from a pre-Civil War mansion. NSU maintains seven instructional sites across Louisiana to serve regional populations. Student life includes 100+ clubs and organizations, a vibrant marching band (Spirit of Northwestern with 300+ members), student media including The Current Sauce newspaper and KNWD radio, and NCAA Division I athletics. The university emphasizes community partnerships and hosts the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, a state-supported residential high school.
NSU welcomes undergraduate, transfer, graduate, international, and military students through multiple pathways. The university offers flexible admissions with rolling deadlines and dedicated recruitment support. Graduate program priority processing deadlines are March 15 (Fall) and October 15 (Spring). The university emphasizes accessibility and affordability, with 100% of NSU students receiving scholarships and grants according to institutional data.
NSU graduates achieve strong career outcomes, with nursing graduates reporting a job placement rate of 100%. The university generates significant regional economic impact—approximately $0M annually supporting over 7,000 jobs in northwest and central Louisiana. NSU is ranked #1 in Louisiana for top public schools in regional universities in the South (U.S. News & World Report, 2026) and ranks in the top return on investment in Louisiana (Georgetown University, 2022). The university maintains over 70,000 alumni.