Browse our Fast Facts for quick information about the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Campus
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette owns a total of about 1,300 acres. Its main campus consists of 145 acres; the athletic complex and Cajundome sit on 243 acres; University Research Park has 148 acres; and the Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology has 51 acres.
It also owns the 100-acre New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, La.
The Cajundome is a 12,800-seat multipurpose arena. There is an adjacent convention center.
Cajun Field holds nearly 37,000 fans, with an additional 8,000 seats built in the end zone in 2014.
Edith Garland Dupré Library is one of the most technologically advanced university libraries in Louisiana.
The expansion and renovation of the Student Union was completed in 2015. The U is about 178,000 square feet, or about 50,000 square feet more than the original structure.
University property includes several campuses:
| University Property | Acreage |
| Main Campus | 145 acres |
| Athletic Complex / Cajundome | 132 acres |
| Blackham Coliseum / Horticulture Center / Intramural Fields | 111 acres |
| University Research Park | 148 acres |
| Cade Farm Laboratory | 600 acres |
| New Iberia Research Center | 100 acres |
| Lou-Ana Research Property in Carencro | 50.9 acres |
| Residential properties in Lafayette | 11.6 acres |
| Total | 1,298 acres |
Academics
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
100 percent of all undergraduate programs at UL Lafayette that are eligible for accreditation by professional agencies are accredited. The University offers more than 80 majors and more than 30 graduate programs.
UL Lafayette is a member of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, which is composed of members from more than a dozen southeastern states and the District of Columbia. Other members include Duke, Vanderbilt and Auburn universities.
The Carnegie Foundation has designated UL Lafayette as a “Research University with Very High Research Activity.” This prestigious R1 classification places UL Lafayette among the top 137 research universities in the country.
About 3,000 students are graduated each year.
UL Lafayette is a selective admissions university.
The University includes the following colleges and schools:
- College of the Arts
- B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
- Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
- Graduate School
- University College
- School of Architecture and Design
- School of Geoscience
- School of Computing and Informatics
- School of Music and Performing Arts
- School of Kinesiology
- University Connection
Personnel
The University has about 2,200 employees.
Students
Total Fall 2023 overall enrollment is 19,213.
Of that total, 15,665 students – 13,432 undergraduates and 2,233 graduate students – are degree-seeking, a 2% increase over last year.
Economic Impact
UL Lafayette had a total spending impact alone of $379 million in Louisiana and $449 million total spending impact in Acadiana in 2015.
UL Lafayette reported $77.3 million in research funding from state, federal, private and self-generated funds in 2015.
Every dollar of state funding invested in UL Lafayette generates more than an $8 return.
About $2.6 billion, or 9 percent, was added to Louisiana’s economy by UL Lafayette graduates due to degree attainment.
Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics in the NCAA's Division 1.
UL Lafayette sports:
- Football
- Baseball
- Softball
- Men's Cross country
- Women's cross country
- Men's basketball
- Women's basketball
- Men's track and field
- Women's track and field
- Golf
- Men's tennis
- Women's tennis
- Volleyball
- Soccer
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns® compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
The University's student-athletes graduate at the highest rate among student-athletes in schools in Louisiana and the Sun Belt Conference, according to the NCAA.
Noteworthy
The Brookings Institute named the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as a national leader for social mobility because of the University's commitment to providing access to higher education for lower-income students.
UL Lafayette is one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report.
US News & World Report recognized education, engineering, nursing, and business graduate programs in its 2020 edition of "Best Graduate Schools."
On the 2019 "Best Online Bachelor's Programs" listing, US News & World Report ranked UL Lafayette No. 114 nationally — leading all Louisiana universities and colleges. The University’s online graduate degree programs in nursing, education and business were also ranked.
The University's graduation rate has risen over 49 percent during the last decade.
UL Lafayette is among the top 10 universities in the United States for its percentage of research and development expenditures funded by business, according to the National Science Foundation.
"Washington Monthly" magazine has cited UL Lafayette as one of best universities in the nation at helping low-income students earn degrees. It ranked UL Lafayette among the top 200 national universities.
See more rankings and recognition.
University of Louisiana System
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a member of the University of Louisiana System. Others are:
- Grambling State University, Grambling, La.
- Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, La.
- McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La.
- Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, La.
- Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, La.
- Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, La.
- University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, La.
- University of New Orleans, New Orleans, La.