What Is Tulane University Known For?

What’s Covered:

• Overview of Tulane University Admissions
• Unique Aspects of Tulane University
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at Tulane University?

If you’re looking for a school that offers the benefits of a large research university with the one-on-one direction of a small liberal arts school, Tulane University may be the perfect fit for you.

From dorm options and financial aid packages, to an in-depth look at the admissions process, read on to learn everything you need to know about being a first-year student at Tulane University.

Overview of Tulane University Admissions

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Undergrad Enrollment: 8,549

Acceptance Rate: 11%

Middle 50% SAT: 1360-1470

Middle 50% ACT: 30-33

Tulane University is a private liberal arts university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane University has a highly competitive admissions process—out of the 43,892 students who applied to the university for the 2020-2021 school year, only 4,877 students were accepted.

Tulane University prioritizes a student’s high school course rigor, class rank, academic GPA, and standardized test scores when making admissions decisions. They also value the student’s application essay, recommendations, and character.

Students who are interested in applying to Tulane University have the following options:

• Early Action (Non-Binding): Students must take their SAT or ACT by December and apply by January 15. They are not restricted from applying to other schools.

• Early Decision (Binding): Students must take their SAT or ACT by October and apply by November 1. Students who are accepted must withdraw their applications from other schools and enroll at Tulane. For the 2020-2021 school year, 922 students were accepted from the early decision plan.

• Regular Decision: Students must take the SAT or ACT by December and apply by January 15.

Tulane University accepts the Common Application or Tulane application. To apply, students will need to collect:

• Application (activities & personal statement)
• High School Transcript
• Secondary School Guidance Counselor Recommendation
• SAT or ACT scores
• Portfolio (optional)

Learn more about Tulane University and see your chances of acceptance.

Unique Aspects of Tulane University

Academics

Tulane University takes pride in its small class sizes taught by full-time faculty. The university offers over 75 undergraduate majors and minors in five colleges:

• The College of Architecture
• The College of Business
• The College of Liberal Arts
• The College of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
• The College of Science and Engineering

The most popular majors at Tulane University include Business, Management, Marketing and other related business degrees, Social Sciences, and Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Tulane University pairs the resources of a large research university with the hands-on benefits of a small liberal arts college. Many undergraduate students participate in research opportunities, and other students study abroad. The university offers over 100 study abroad programs in more than 40 countries.

One notable professor at Tulane University is Jesmyn Ward, an American novelist, named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2018.

Extracurriculars

Tulane University has over 200 student-run organizations and clubs on campus. These organizations include student government, performance groups, service organizations, sororities, fraternities, intramural sports, club sports, and more. Nearly half of the student body at Tulane University is involved in Greek life.

One student-run organization, Tulane University Campus Programming (TUCP), coordinates events for Tulane University. They have brought musical talent to the school and arranged performances from Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Thomas Rhett, and Jesse McCartney. They have also secured notable speakers, including Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and more.

Tulane University has 18 NCAA Division I sports teams that compete in the Atlantic Athletic Conference (AAC). Their teams are called the “Green Wave.”

Traditions

Tulane University was established in 1847. The university has a rich history and deep-rooted traditions students can participate in during their time in New Orleans. Here are a few of the most popular:

• Blarney Stone: This stone appeared at the College of Engineering in 1945, and the students have adopted it to keep the tradition of St. Patrick being the patron saint of engineering.

• Hullabaloo Cheer: At Tulane sporting events, students will shout the Hullabaloo Cheer, as well as sing the Alma Mater, Tulane Fight Song, The Olive and Blue, and Makin’ New Tradition Everyday.

• “Wave Goodbye” Party: Before graduation, students celebrate with live music, food, and entertainment on the academic quad.

• Crawfest: An annual food, music, and arts festival at the university where 20,000+ pounds of crawfish are consumed and students can explore the local vendors’ stands.

Dorms

Tulane University offers several different housing options for students, including ​​coed residence halls, female-only residence halls, and residential learning communities. The housing options at Tulane University include:

• Monroe Residence Hall: 12-story coed dorm for freshmen students.

• Paterson Residence Hall: Coed residence hall for freshmen and upperclassmen and home to two residential learning communities, Changemaker and Kaleidoscope.

• Sharp Residence Hall: Coed dorm for first-year students and home to two residential learning communities, Squad RLC and Third Coast.

• Wall Residence Hall: Coed dorm for first-year honors students who are part of the Honors Residential Learning Community.

• Butler Residence Hall: Coed residence hall for first-year students who are part of the Health Wave Residential Learning Community.

• Josephine Louise Residence Hall: Residence hall for first-year female students and members of the Spark Residential Learning Community for women involved in creative, intellectual and social justice communities.

• Warren Residence Hall: Coed community for all undergraduate students and home to two residential learning communities, Shapers & Creators and Get Engaged.

Financial Aid

Tulane University offers both merit-based and need-based financial aid programs.

All freshmen are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships up to $35,000 per year. However, first-year students can apply for the following merit-based scholarships by following additional application procedures:

• Deans’ Honors Scholarship (full tuition)
• Paul Tulane Award (full tuition)
• Stamps Scholarship (total cost)
• Community Service Fellowship (partial cost)
• Legislative Scholarship (Louisiana residents only)
• Mayoral Scholarship (Louisiana residents only)
• Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (Louisiana residents only)
• Louisiana Excellence Award (Louisiana residents only)
• Global Scholarship (International students only)
• Brandt Dixon Scholarship (International students only)
• Sub-Saharan African Leadership Award (International students only)

Need-based scholarships are awarded by the Office of Financial Aid. To qualify for need-based awards, students must complete a FAFSA and a CSS Profile. Need-based scholarships include:

• Tulane Need-Based Scholarship
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Tulane’s No-Loan Assistance Scholarship (NOLA)

Location

Tulane University is located in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana. Located within walking distance of the university are Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, and The Riverwalk. These lush, green areas offer great spaces for students to run, walk, relax, or study.

Students are also just a 2.5-mile drive from the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, offering close access to the restaurants, shopping, and vibrant culture in Downtown New Orleans. The university is also a short 15-mile drive from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, making travel during school convenient for students.

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance at Tulane University?

Even though Tulane University has an extremely competitive admissions process, your unique combination of test scores, grades, and recommendations may be enough to boost your academic profile above other applications to the university.

To better understand your chances of acceptance at Tulane University, we recommend using our free admissions calculator. This calculator will use your background, grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and other factors to estimate your odds of acceptance. It will also give you tips on how to enhance your profile to improve your admissions chances.

This handy tool will also help you sort best-fit schools based on location, majors, size, and more to assist you in creating a college application strategy that works best for you.