Louisiana's largest HBCU and flagship land-grant university, producing top Black engineers and healthcare professionals.
Southern University offers four-year, graduate, professional, and doctorate degrees through six colleges and a law school. The institution is accredited by SACS and holds R2 Carnegie Classification for high research activity. Notable strengths include the College of Nursing and Allied Health (six-time Louisiana nursing school of the year, largest producer of African Americans with Master of Science in Nursing degrees nationally), the College of Sciences and Engineering (one of the top producers of Black engineers in the nation), and the Southern University Law Center (one of only two public law schools in Louisiana, established 1947). The university also offers the first Louisiana degrees in philanthropic studies and operates nationally recognized Army and Navy ROTC programs.
The 512-acre campus in Baton Rouge features Lake Kernan flowing through its center and the Mississippi River forming its western boundary. Eight on-campus residence halls house students, while the Smith-Brown Memorial Union serves as a major extracurricular hub with dining, recreation, and meeting spaces. The John B. Cade Library houses over one million volumes and the Camille Shade African-American Heritage Collection. Nearly 150 student organizations are active on campus. The Human Jukebox marching band, established 1947, has performed at six Super Bowls, presidential inaugurations, and the Rose Parade, and was named '#1 Band In The Nation' by USA Today in 2008.
Southern University accepts undergraduate, transfer, international, honors, adult, and graduate students. The university offers an out-of-state fee waiver program and maintains residency requirements. Admissions pathways include regular decision and specialized tracks for honors and graduate programs. As of fall 2023, the undergraduate population was 95% Black, with 71% of students classified as low-income and 70% from Louisiana.
Between 2004 and 2013, Southern ranked 4th nationally for baccalaureate-origin institution of Black male doctorate recipients. The university consistently enrolled over 10,000 students between 1970 and 1990, becoming the nation's largest HBCU. In 2021, Southern attained R2 Carnegie Classification, becoming one of only 11 HBCUs with this status and the first in Louisiana. U.S. News & World Report ranks the university 114–142 regionally (South); Washington Monthly ranks it 104 among Master's universities.