Tulane University
New Orleans, Louisiana | Admissions Phone: 504-865-5731
E-mail: undergrad.admission@tulane.edu | Website: www.tulane.edu
ADMISSION
Admission Rate: 17%
Admission Rate - Men: 17%
Admission Rate - Women: 18%
EA Admission Rate: 25%
ED Admission Rate: 32%
Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -9%
ED Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): Previously Not Offered
% of Admits Attending (Yield): 28%
Transfer Admission Rate: 38%
# Offered Wait List: 10,384
# Accepted Wait List: 3,111
# Admitted Wait List: 2
SAT Reading/Writing (Middle 50%): 670-730
SAT Math (Middle 50%): 680-760
ACT Composite (Middle 50%): 30-33
Testing Policy: ACT/SAT Required
SAT Superscore: Yes
ACT Superscore: No
% Graduated in Top 10% of HS Class: 63%
% Graduated in Top 25% of HS Class: 88%
% Graduated in Top 50% of HS Class: 96%
ENROLLMENT
Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,773
% Part-Time: 0%
% Male: 40%
% Female: 60%
% Out-of-State: 79%
% Fraternity: 24%
% Sorority: 46%
% On-Campus (Freshman): 99%
% On-Campus (All Undergraduate): 48%
% African-American: 4%
% Asian: 5%
% Hispanic: 7%
% White: 73%
% Other: 4%
% Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 1%
% International: 5%
% Low-Income: 10%
ACADEMICS
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 8:1
% of Classes Under 20: 62%
% of Classes Under 40: 88%
% Full-Time Faculty: 62%
% Full-Time Faculty w/ Terminal Degree: 95%
Top Programs
Architecture
Biology
Communication
Finance
Neuroscience
Political Science/International Relations Sociology
Retention Rate: 94%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 75%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 85%
Curricular Flexibility: Somewhat Flexible
Academic Rating: 
FINANCIAL
Institutional Type: Private
In-State Tuition: $52,760
Out-of-State Tuition: $52,760
Room & Board: $15,774
Required Fees: $4,040
Books & Supplies: $1,200
Avg. Need-Based Aid: $34,434
Avg. % of Need Met: 96%
Avg. Merit-Based Aid: $23,983
% Receiving Merit-Based Aid: 55%
Avg. Cumulative Debt: $41,767
% of Students Borrowing: 35%
CAREER
Who Recruits
1. Facebook
2. Medtronic
3. Tesla
4. Starbucks
5. Amazon
Notable Internships
1. AIG
2. U.S. Senate
3. HBO
Top Industries
1. Business
2. Education
3. Operations
4. Healthcare
5. Social Services
Top Employers
1. Ochsner Health System
2. Shell
3. EY
4. PwC
5. Deloitte
Where Alumni Work
1. New Orleans
2. New York City
3. Washington, DC
4. Houston
5. San Francisco
Median Earnings
College Scorecard (Early Career): $61,700
EOP (Early Career): N/A
PayScale (Mid-Career): $105,300
RANKINGS
Forbes: 106
Money: 390
U.S. News: 44, National Universities
Wall Street Journal/THE: 84 (T)
Washington Monthly: 343, National Universities
Inside the Classroom
In competition with Vanderbilt and Emory for King of the Southern Ivies status, Tulane University takes the bronze; yet, that is hardly a knock on this private, midsized university in the heart of New Orleans. Home to 6,750 undergraduates, Tulane successfully combines the benefits of a renowned research university with the friendly classroom atmosphere of a liberal arts college. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the school dedicated itself to community service, an attribute that is now deeply woven into the fabric of the university.
Tulane offers seventy-five majors within five colleges, but all students, regardless of major, call Newcombe-Tulane College their home base. The school’s core curriculum, which consists of thirty credits worth of courses, was redesigned in 2017 to “develop information literacy, critical thinking, and personal and social responsibility.” As a result, coursework is required in the areas of writing skills, formal reasoning, foreign language, mathematics and natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, textual and historical perspectives, aesthetics and the creative arts, and a first-year seminar called the Tulane Interdisciplinary Experience Seminar (TIDES). The TIDES courses center around engaging topics, many of which have to do with local New Orleans culture/history and involve one-on-one meetings with professors and a chance to connect with a student mentor.
Despite the presence of a significant number of graduate students, the university’s enviable 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio can still be felt in the classroom. The average undergraduate class size is twenty-one students, and 94 percent of sections have an enrollment under fifty students. A solid 20 percent of courses have single-digit enrollments, providing a seminar-style environment. The overwhelming majority of undergraduate courses, even introductory ones, are taught by full-time professors. Exiting student surveys indicate that this focus on undergraduate education is noted as 94 percent rated their educational experience at Tulane as either “excellent” or “good.” Those aiming to engage in undergraduate research at Tulane can find it; over 200 students per year land such opportunities in the School of Science and Engineering alone. An expansive study abroad program offers more than one hundred programs in forty countries, which is taken advantage of by 600 students each year.
Business/marketing, social science, biology, and health professions are the disciplines in which most degrees are conferred. The A.B. Freeman School of Business and programs in architecture, biology, and neuroscience enjoy strong national reputations. In its history, Tulane has produced eighteen Rhodes Scholars, one more than Emory. The university was a top producer of Fulbright Scholars in 2018 with fifteen graduates and recent alumni selected. Beinecke, Boren, Truman, and Marshall Scholarships also go to Green Wave alums with regularity.
Outside the Classroom
Fewer than half of the undergraduate population resides on the university’s 110-acre uptown campus. Ample housing exists in the nearby community that is either within walking/biking distance of campus or accessible via the university bus system. The Greek scene is active with ten fraternities and eight sororities that collectively draw 35-40 percent of the student body. Tulane offers big-time athletics with sixteen NCAA Division I teams competing in the American Athletic Conference. The Green Wave shines brightest in baseball, men’s tennis, and women’s golf. An additional twenty-nine club sports teams and thirteen intramural leagues ensure that athletic participation is open to all. Over 200 student-run clubs currently are active with volunteer opportunities being among the most popular. Tulane undergrads contribute over 780,000 hours of volunteer service annually. Campus boasts thirty libraries/research centers, fifteen eateries, and the 156,000-square-foot Reily Student Recreation Center. The urban campus is located within the New Orleans city limits, only four miles from the bustling French Quarter, which provides students with all the culinary and cultural delights one can handle. The fact that classes shut down during Mardi Gras tells you all you need to know about life at Tulane.
Career Services
Tulane’s Career Center is staffed by ten professionals who specialize in areas such as career advising, senior year experience coordination, pre-health advising, and pre-law advising. That works out to a 675:1 student-to-advisor ratio that is above average when compared to other schools in this guidebook. The office’s strength is in organizing well-attended career and grad school fairs. The Mardi Gras Invitational Job Fair brings 145 employers to campus, the Gumbo Gathering Job Fair attracts another 134, and 118 schools are represented at the Graduate & Professional School Fair. Additionally, 11,000+ job and internship listings are posted through Tulane’s Career Services Center.
A one-credit course entitled Majors, Internships, and Jobs teaches resume building, interview prep, and professional social media use. Many land internships through the UCAN Intern Consortium that Tulane belongs to alongside such schools as Harvard, Notre Dame, Swarthmore, and Washington University. A nationwide alumni network that is 140,000 members strong is another great source that current undergrads can utilize to land internships or their first paid gig. Founded in 2006, post-Hurricane Katrina, The Center for Public Service ensures that all Tulane grads engage in structured volunteer work during their four years of study. At the heart of this program is a three-credit Public Internship Program that allows students to complete sixty to seventy hours with a nonprofit organization. Thanks to an emphasis on public service and large-scale networking events, the Tulane Career Center succeeds in preparing its students for the world of work and graduate school.
Professional Outcomes
Among those receiving their diplomas in the spring of 2017, 61 percent were entering the world of gainful employment. The most popular industries were finance (17 percent), legal (17 percent), accounting (10 percent), education (6 percent), and engineering (4 percent). Significant numbers of Tulane alumni can be found working in the Louisiana-based Ochsner Health System or at corporations such as Shell, EY, Google, PwC, IBM, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, and Accenture. Depending on the school from which one was graduating, Class of 2017 members reported median starting salaries between $37,000 and $60,000. Geographically, the most popular postgraduate move is to remain in the Greater New Orleans area although New York City, DC, Houston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles attract large numbers of Green Wave alumni as well.
Seventeen percent of Tulane grads immediately enroll in graduate or professional school. The four most commonly attended graduate schools by members of the Class of 2017 were Tulane itself, Louisiana State University, Boston University, and Johns Hopkins University. Students applying to law and medical schools, including Tulane’s own institutions, fare better than the national average. Tulane undergraduates gain acceptance to medical school 58 percent of the time, and that figure rises to 93 percent for those with at least a 3.6 GPA and a score of 509 or higher on the MCAT. Recent grads have attended Columbia, Duke, and Johns Hopkins as well as the uber-selective Tulane School of Medicine. Law school hopefuls gain acceptance at an impressive 93 percent rate including roughly seventy admits annually into Tulane’s own solidly ranked law school.
Admission
Tulane received 38,816 applications for its Class of 2022 but accepted only 17 percent, part of a pattern of declining admissions rates in recent years; the Class of 2021 rate was 21 percent, the Class of 2020 rate was 26 percent, and the Class of 2019 rate was 30 percent. The average accepted applicant averaged a 1456 on the SAT, and the middle 50 percent range for attending freshmen was 1350-1490. The middle 50 percent ACT composite score range is 30-33; roughly three-quarters of applicants elect to submit the ACT over the SAT. Sixty-three percent of 2018-19 freshmen had earned a place in the top decile of their high school class, and 88 percent were in the top quartile. Not everyone attending Tulane had perfect grades as 38 percent of attendees sported a high school GPA below 3.5.
With a heavy volume of applications streaming in, the Tulane Admissions Office is forced to rely on concrete factors to winnow down the pool. As a result, four factors are ranked as being most important: rigor of course-work, class rank, GPA, and standardized test scores. Essays, recommendations, and character/personal qualities receive second billing. With the school’s acceptance rate in fast decline, it is not a surprise that early decision applications are increasing; ED applications rose 37.5 percent between 2017 and 2018. ED applicants to the Class of 2022 were accepted at a 32 percent clip. An institution whose heightened selectivity in recent years may go unnoticed by applicants relying on old data or the school’s reputation a decade ago, Tulane has claimed its position in the realm of highly selective research universities. Successful applicants need standardized test scores above the 95th percentile to go with A’s and B’s in AP/honors coursework.
Worth Your Money?
Don’t let the official cost of attendance of $75,000 make you think that Tulane is beyond your financial reach because a large percentage of students receive a discount in the form of merit or need-based aid that bring that sum down to a more reasonable level. Fifty-five percent of current undergrads receive an average merit aid award of $24k, and 31 percent of undergraduates are given grants averaging $34k per year. If you don’t receive a sizable aid offer, the wisest move would be to evaluate (a) your other financial aid offers and (b) the amount of debt you would be likely to incur at Tulane versus the expected starting salaries for jobs related to your intended major.