+12%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at McNeese State University rose 12% between 2017 and 2020 ($20.6k → $23.0k).
Louisiana · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, Louisiana. 4,846 undergraduate students. 66 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at McNeese State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at McNeese State University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (3.3% → 0.0%).
-39%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at McNeese State University fell 39% between 2021 and 2024 ($16.4k → $10.0k).
+12%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at McNeese State University rose 12% between 2021 and 2024 (22.6% → 25.4%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Louisiana
Each tile compares this institution to the Louisiana median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$46,453+20% · 6→10y
Louisiana median $33,099$38,713
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry52.0%+91% · '97→'24
Louisiana median 52.0%$13,000+667% · '97→'20
At program completion4,846-29% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS70.8%-1% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time67.5%-9% · '01→'24
latest cohort$8,460+243% · '00→'24
out-of-state $9,960SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.7%Median federal debt $13,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $46,453 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+91%
McNeese State University · completion · 150% rose
24.6% → 47.0%
+252%
McNeese State University · completion · 100% rose
7.2% → 25.4%
-29%
McNeese State University · undergrad enrollment fell
7,057 → 5,005
+243%
McNeese State University · in-state tuition rose
$2,472 → $8,489
+667%
McNeese State University · median debt rose
$3,000 → $23,000
-100%
McNeese State University · cohort default rate fell
17.5% → 0.0%
+24%
McNeese State University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$37,500 → $46,453
+25%
McNeese State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$32,900 → $41,254
+29%
McNeese State University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$30,100 → $38,713
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$122,089Engineering, General.$99,434Computer Science.$72,568Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$72,067Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$68,468Biology, General.$58,995Educational Administration and Supervision.$57,161Health and Physical Education/Fitness.$56,410Psychology, General.$52,876Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$52,464Agriculture, General.$52,104Accounting and Related Services.$50,857Marketing.$50,467Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$50,322Business Administration, Management and Operations.$49,396Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$48,966Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$48,318Finance and Financial Management Services.$45,936Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$45,505Sociology.$44,679Health and Physical Education/Fitness.$44,155Psychology, General.$43,040Communication and Media Studies.$42,915Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$41,559
Showing top 24 of 26 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
26 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$45,505Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$50,322Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$52,464Educational Administration and Supervision.$57,161Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$48,966
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$72,067Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$122,089Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.$48,318Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.$68,468
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
AGRICULTURE · CIP 01
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at McNeese State University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$128,869
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 18
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $12,263
- HS-only baseline · LA
- $32,800
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 24
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Louisiana
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“McNeese State University graduates earn $X” — not “McNeese State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending McNeese State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.