“Louisiana's largest HBCU and flagship of the only historically black land-grant university system in the U.S.”
Southern University and A&M College (SUBR) is a public Historically Black 1890 land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded in 1880 and relocated to its current bluff-top campus above the Mississippi River in 1914. SUBR is the flagship of the Southern University System — the only historically Black university system in the United States — and the largest HBCU in Louisiana, enrolling approximately 6,800 students on a sprawling 964-acre campus. The university has been central to the Black educational and political experience in Louisiana for more than 140 years and continues to serve as an economic and cultural anchor for the state's African-American community. SUBR is organized around 11 academic units including the College of Engineering, College of Business, College of Sciences, College of Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Arts and Humanities, College of Education, School of Nursing, School of Architecture, the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, and the Honors College. The university is one of the nation's top producers of Black engineers, and its nursing and pharmacy programs (through the SU System) are among Louisiana's most respected pipelines into the healthcare workforce. Agricultural research — rooted in Southern's 1890 land-grant mission — remains a distinctive strength. Student life at Southern is defined by proud HBCU traditions: the 'Human Jukebox' marching band, one of the most-imitated and most-viewed HBCU bands in the world; the Dancing Dolls; Jaguar football and basketball in the Southwestern Athletic Conference; and the Bayou Classic against Grambling State, an annual Thanksgiving-weekend rivalry held in the New Orleans Superdome. The campus overlooks the Mississippi River, gives students access to Louisiana's capital, and offers an HBCU community rooted in Black excellence, service, and Louisiana culture — an especially welcoming environment for international students from Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Engineering
Southern University and A&M College
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission
Southern uses rolling admissions.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
$9,922
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$17,272
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
One of Southern's flagship engineering tracks — the university is regularly ranked among the top producers of Black mechanical engineers in the U.S., with strong pipelines to energy and aerospace employers.
4 years
CCNE-accredited BSN with clinical placements across Baton Rouge's major health systems; a flagship HBCU nursing pipeline serving Louisiana.
5 years
Louisiana's only HBCU-based NAAB-accredited architecture program — a distinctive pathway for diverse students entering the design professions.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $17,272
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
