Students walking UL Lafayette's campus

Student Experience

Find your people, your place, and your passion at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Student Body at a Glance

15,345

students enrolled at UL Lafayette

We’re a big campus with big opportunities, but you won’t feel overwhelmed here. Get to know our campus and you’ll find friendly faces everywhere you go.

450+

international students

Our students come from 70+ different countries and to all of them we say: You are welcome here.

25%

first-generation students

We celebrate and support students who are striving to become the first in their families to earn a college degree.

students sit in living room of UL Lafayette residence room

Welcome Home

You’ll be minutes away from classes, good food, and good friends in one of our six residence halls, which have all been built within the last ten years. Clean, cutting-edge, and cozy, you’ll feel at home in one of our many room styles.

Housing Info & Options
UL Lafayette students eat lunch in Cypress Dining Hall in the Student Union

Good Eats

Lafayette is home to the best food in the world and it’s all within walking distance. Whether you want a bowl of gumbo, a gyro, or a drink from Smoothie King®, we’ve got your craving on or near campus.

Meal Plans & Dining Options
UL Lafayette kinesiology majors conduct body composition tracking

Research Opportunities

As a student, you are an essential part of research activity at the University. You'll be in labs, studios, clinics, and the community, making significant contributions and finding solutions.

Student Research Opportunities
UL Lafayette students building a home

Empowering Experiences

Explore your interests and engage in new adventures by getting involved on campus. Join an organization, participate in a study group, or give back through community service and gain skills you need outside of the classroom to be successful in the workforce.  

Explore Opportunities

What Our Students Say

Inclusion & Equity

UL Lafayette has earned the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for six years in a row because of our programs, initiatives and efforts that promote equity and inclusion.

Top 16%

UL Lafayette as one of the best universities in the nation for social mobility and providing a “best bang for the buck” education.

Visit the Office of Campus Inclusion
UL Lafayette student climbs rock wall at Rec Sports center

Health & Fitness

UL Lafayette makes the well-being of our students a priority because we know success goes hand in hand with health and wellness. We have a broad range of on-campus resources to ensure students stay physically healthy, emotionally well, and ready to take on the world.

Explore Health Resources
festival international crowd with band performing

Living in Lafayette

Lafayette is the heart of Cajun Country and the cultural center of Louisiana's heritage. Our Cajun and Creole cultures can be experienced through our music and food, but mostly through the way our community welcomes and embraces you. Once you’re here, you’re family.

Learn more about Lafayette

Find Your Ragin' Spirit

Hear the rage of the Cajuns and give a yell! We are members of the Sun Belt Conference and compete in the NCAA’s Division I, the highest level of collegiate athletics. With 16 sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field, softball, soccer, and volleyball, there’s always something to cheer about. Plus, students get into games for free!

Geaux Cajuns!

Live Your Best Life

Downtown Lafayette neon sign lit up at night

Downtown Alive!

Downtown Lafayette's free concert series features bands from every genre: Cajun and Creole, zydeco, rock, covers, blues, and more. Every Friday night, you'll find some of Lafayette's best musicians performing in our downtown parks at Downtown Alive!.

Ragin' Cajuns basketball

Cajundome & Convention Center

Big-name acts, fast-paced sports, and local celebrations can be found at the Cajundome & Convention Center. Home to Ragin' Cajuns basketball, this arena hosts sporting events, large concerts, performances, Mardi Gras balls, and conventions. 

Rhythms on the River concert

Rhythms on the River

Lounge on the lawns of the River Ranch Town Square and enjoy live music from Lafayette’s favorite local performers during Rhythms on the River.  

  • Highlight Free live music
  • Distance 15-minute drive from campus
  • When it Happens Every Thursday night in spring and fall

Year-Round Concerts & Festivals

We celebrate just about every local dish, crop harvested, and type of music that's played in Louisiana. Throughout the year, Louisiana hosts festivals and events of all sizes. Some are a few steps away from campus, like Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, which celebrates Louisiana's unique heritage and history. Many are a quick car ride away, such as the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival or the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Find a festival

Student Resources

Office

What We Do

Rec Sports empowers students to be active. We oversee the campus gym and fitness center, pool, club and intramural sports, fitness classes, and personal training.