#597 in the world · QS 2027

Tulane University

A selective private research university in Uptown New Orleans where public service is a graduation requirement.

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Private research university Founded 1834 Official website

See my chances at Tulane Admissions office

Photo: Tulane Public Relations · CC BY 2.0

Acceptance rate: 15%; First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
Students: 12,030; 6,839 undergraduates
International: 5%; of students
Student–faculty: 7:1; ratio
Tuition: $70,622; 2026-27

About Tulane

Tulane University began in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana, became the public University of Louisiana in 1847 and turned private in 1884 with the endowment of Paul Tulane. Its main campus sits on St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans, directly across from Audubon Park, with a health sciences campus downtown. In fall 2025 it enrolled 12,030 students: 6,839 undergraduates and 5,191 graduate and professional students.

Undergraduates enter Newcomb-Tulane College and choose from more than 75 majors across five undergraduate schools: Architecture and Built Environment, the A. B. Freeman School of Business, Liberal Arts, Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Science and Engineering. Tulane is a member of the Association of American Universities, runs one of the oldest public health schools in the country and the Tulane National Primate Research Center, and reports a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Every undergraduate completes a two-tier public service requirement, part of the core curriculum Tulane introduced after Hurricane Katrina.

Admission is selective: Tulane admitted 4,763 of 32,942 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (14.5%) and gives weight to demonstrated interest. Most students come from more than 500 miles away, drawn as much by New Orleans as by the university. It suits students who want a mid-sized research university with small classes, a strong service ethic and a city that is part of the education.

Non sibi, sed suis

“Not for oneself, but for one's own” — university motto

Why students choose Tulane

The public service graduation requirement pairs coursework with work in New Orleans through the Center for Public Service, and the Community Service Fellowship builds a cohort around it.

Full-tuition and full-cost merit awards, including the Dean's Honor Scholarship, the Stamps Scholarship and the Grossman and Cohen Scholarship, need no separate application.

Small classes for a research university: a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, an average class size of 22 and first-year TIDES seminars on more than 85 topics.

The Uptown campus sits on the St. Charles streetcar line, about 4 miles from the French Quarter, with food, music and festival traditions such as Crawfest built into student life.

Admissions

First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)

About 1 in 7 applicants is admitted

4,763 admitted from 32,942 applicants

SAT 1430–1500

1000120014001600

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

ACT 32–34

2024283236

Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.

1,858 first-years enrolled. 5,842 applicants were offered a place on the waiting list and 64 were admitted from it. Tulane says it typically admits roughly 15% of more than 30,000 first-year applicants and considers demonstrated interest (campus visits, virtual events, meeting your admission officer, checking your Green Wave Portal).

Testing Test-optional: SAT or ACT scores are not required but are considered, and Tulane encourages you to submit an SAT above 1300 or ACT above 28. Scores are preferred for merit scholarship consideration.

Grades Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years was 3.67 (CDS 2025-26). Tulane says admitted students typically have A and B grades and an average recalculated, unweighted 3.7 in core academic courses. SAT/ACT ranges are for enrolled students who submitted scores.

Typical entry requirements

International secondary school record	Certified transcript covering at least three full years of secondary school; exit exams alone are not sufficient
English language	IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 95 Successful applicants typically score TOEFL iBT 95+ (the stated minimum), IELTS 6.5+ or Duolingo 130+; Cambridge C1/C2 is also accepted. SAT reading and writing 600+ or ACT English 27+ waives the requirement, and it may be waived for study in a country where English is an official language.

Deadlines

Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 26 days

November 1, 2026

Binding. Decisions by December 15; deposit due January 15. CSS Profile and FAFSA for need-based aid due November 15.
Early Action Non-binding In 35 days

November 10, 2026

Non-binding. Decisions by January 10; deposit due May 1. Applicants not admitted may be deferred to Regular Decision.
Early Decision II Binding In ~3 months

January 15, 2027

Binding. Decisions by February 15; deposit due March 1. EA and RD applicants can switch to ED II in the Green Wave Portal.
Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 months

January 15, 2027

Decisions by April 1; deposit due May 1. Some merit scholarship applications are due in December.

Tulane's deadlines page lists annual dates without a year (and still carries stale 'fall of 2024' notices); the dates are identical to the October 2025 version of the page, so they are applied here to the fall 2027 cycle. Global Scholarships for international students require an ED or EA application to be competitive.

How to apply

Common App; personal statement and activities list; high school transcript; Secondary School Report (counselor recommendation; teacher recommendations are not required but can be added); optional SAT/ACT; optional portfolio or audition; ED agreement form for Early Decision; international applicants add a Certification of Finances and English test scores.

What admissions looks for

High levels of academic achievement: rigor of the secondary school record, GPA and the application essay are rated very important in the CDS.
Extracurricular achievement and character, reviewed holistically; no decision is based on a single piece of information.
Demonstrated interest in Tulane, which the admission office says it considers in its decisions.
A sense of adventure suited to living in New Orleans, which the Dean of Admission says the committee tends to be drawn to.

Tips for applying to Tulane

1 Show demonstrated interest: attend a tour or virtual session, meet your regional admission officer, and log in to your Green Wave Portal after you submit.
2 Apply by Early Action (November 10) or Early Decision (November 1) if you want the strongest shot at merit money; international Global Scholarships explicitly favour early applicants.
3 Submit test scores if they are above 1300 SAT or 28 ACT, and especially if you want the Dean's Honor Scholarship, whose recent recipients typically had 1500+ SAT or 33+ ACT.
4 File the CSS Profile (and FAFSA if eligible) even if you only want merit aid: Tulane expects both forms for scholarship consideration up to full tuition.
5 Use the Green Wave Portal to upload an optional supplement or creative project (up to 3 minutes for video) for full-tuition scholarship review.

What are your chances?

Costs & financial aid

2026-27 · figures in USD

Tuition, all undergraduates (plus $4,514 in mandatory fees) Tuition $70,622

+ first-year on-campus housing ($11,758 weighted average) and meals ($8,780, minimum required plan) $20,538 ≈ $91,160 per year

Tuition First-year on-campus housing ($11,758 weighted average) and meals ($8,780, minimum required plan)

Official cost of attendance $98,710

Financial aid

Tulane awards need-based aid from the CSS Profile and FAFSA and offers the NOLA Scholarship to eligible first-years whose families earn under $75,000. Merit scholarships range from partial awards of up to $32,000 a year to full tuition and full cost of attendance. International students can receive up to $30,000 a year in need-based aid plus merit awards up to full tuition, including Global Scholarships.

89.5%
Average need met for need-based aid recipients (all full-time undergraduates, CDS 2025-26): $64,125
Average need-based grant for first-years receiving one (CDS 2025-26): 74 students, averaging $49,005
International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26): $30,000 per year
Maximum need-based aid for international students: $98,710 including $1,200 books and $1,778 miscellaneous; transportation extra
2026-27 cost of attendance, first-year on campus

Academics

Academic calendar: Semesters

Public Health (Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine)

Founded in 1912 as a school of hygiene and tropical medicine, it has admitted undergraduates since 2006.

Altman Program in International Studies and Business

About 20 scholars a year earn dual degrees in business and liberal arts, specialise in a world region and travel together to the global south after first year.

Architecture

Tulane has taught architecture since 1894; its School of Architecture and Built Environment runs a 5-year professional program on the oldest part of the Uptown campus.

Science and Engineering Honors with TRIA

The Tulane Research and Innovation Award pairs incoming honors students with a faculty researcher for 10 paid hours a week in their first year.

Newcomb Scholars Program

A 20-student cohort that takes courses together and writes a thesis presented at the annual Newcomb Scholars Symposium.

Research

The Tulane National Primate Research Center in Covington is one of eight primate research centers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Tulane is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a university with very high research activity and is a member of the Association of American Universities.
The Middle American Research Institute, founded in 1925, studies the archaeology and history of Mexico and Central America.
More than 60 centers, institutes and libraries, holding 4.6 million books and physical items.

Schools & faculties

School of Architecture and Built Environment
A. B. Freeman School of Business
School of Liberal Arts
Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
School of Science and Engineering
Tulane University Law School
School of Medicine
School of Social Work
School of Professional Advancement

Graduation rate

87%

First-year students who return

93%

College Scorecard: median earnings of $63,268 ten years after entry (and $50,220 six years after entry) for federally aided students.

Student life

First-, second- and third-year students live on campus with a meal plan unless they are from the New Orleans area, in 15 residence halls that include themed residential learning communities such as Global New Orleans, Explore and Ignite. Orientation, called Hullabaloo Hello, ends with a brass band second line to a block party, and spring brings Crawfest, a two-stage student music festival with 18,000 pounds of free crawfish. There are more than 300 student organizations and 25 fraternities and sororities, and service runs through campus life via CACTUS, which fields 1,000+ volunteers each fall for Outreach Tulane.

Green Wave athletics: 16 NCAA Division I teams, with football at on-campus Yulman Stadium.
Crawfest each spring and a second line after the President's Convocation for new students.
More than 300 student-led clubs, 29 club sports and 10 intramural sports.
The 156,000 sq ft Reily Student Recreation Center.
More than 200 study abroad programs in over 70 nations.

Housing. First-, second- and third-year students live on campus with a meal plan unless they are from the New Orleans area and granted an exception; first-years live in halls such as Monroe, Sharp, Wall and Butler.

Location

Tulane's Uptown campus faces Audubon Park on oak-lined St. Charles Avenue, a streetcar ride of about 4 miles from the Central Business District and the French Quarter. New Orleans shapes daily life: brass bands and second lines, festival seasons, and red beans and rice or gumbo on the dining hall menu. The medical and public health schools are on the downtown health sciences campus near the Superdome.

Nearest airport: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

Notable alumni

DF
David Filo

Co-founder of Yahoo! (School of Engineering graduate)
MD
Michael DeBakey

Pioneering cardiovascular surgeon
NG
Newt Gingrich

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives
JK
John Kennedy Toole

Author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces
LP
Lisa P. Jackson

Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency
RB
Regina Benjamin

18th Surgeon General of the United States
PC
Perry Chen

Co-founder of Kickstarter
DG
Douglas G. Hurley

NASA astronaut and the first Tulane alumnus in space

Frequently asked questions

What is Tulane's acceptance rate?

Tulane admitted 4,763 of 32,942 first-year applicants for fall 2025, an acceptance rate of about 14.5%.

Is Tulane test-optional?

Yes. SAT and ACT scores are not required, but Tulane considers them and encourages you to submit an SAT above 1300 or ACT above 28. Enrolled students who submitted scores had middle-50% ranges of 1430-1500 (SAT) and 32-34 (ACT).

Does Tulane consider demonstrated interest?

Yes. Tulane says it considers demonstrated interest, shown through visits, virtual events, meeting your admission officer and checking your Green Wave Portal after applying.

What are Tulane's application deadlines?

Early Decision I is due November 1, Early Action November 10, and Early Decision II and Regular Decision January 15. ED I decisions come by December 15 and EA decisions by January 10.

How much does Tulane cost, and does it give aid to international students?

The 2026-27 cost of attendance for a first-year on campus is $98,710, including $70,622 tuition. International students can receive up to $30,000 a year in need-based aid plus merit scholarships up to full tuition.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.