Louisiana State University-Alexandria (LSUA) Acceptance Rate, GPA, and Admission Requirements

LSUA's test-optional admission isn't unconditional - it's tied to two specific criteria: a minimum 2.75 overall high school GPA and completion of the Louisiana TOPS University Curriculum, a defined set of college-prep coursework. Students who meet both can skip submitting ACT/SAT scores entirely; students who don't meet one or both criteria will need to submit an official ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer score to be reviewed. Because TOPS Curriculum completion is a specific, checkable set of courses rather than a vague "college-prep" label, a counselor should verify a student's transcript against the actual TOPS course list well before senior year, not assume general rigor is sufficient. For students close to the 2.75 threshold, know that ACT/SAT scores are still useful for scholarship consideration even if not required for admission.

LSUA's Associate of Science in Nursing program explicitly states it has no entrance exam requirement - a real structural difference from most Louisiana RN programs, which typically gate admission behind a TEAS or HESI score and a competitive ranking process. This makes LSUA a meaningfully different strategic option for a strong student who tests poorly on standardized entrance exams but has solid coursework and clinical interest. That said, "no entrance exam" doesn't mean no academic bar: the ASN degree requires 33 hours of general education and 39 hours of nursing coursework, and students must earn a "C" or better in every single course to progress, so the absence of a gatekeeping exam shifts the real filter onto sustained coursework performance rather than a single high-stakes test day.

LSUA offers a dedicated LPN-to-ASN Scholarship providing $2,000 per semester (fall and spring only) specifically for LPNs employed within Regional Labor Market 6 - Rapides, Avoyelles, LaSalle, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, and Winn parishes - or employed at one of several named partner facilities (Avoyelles Hospital, CHRISTUS Cabrini, CHRISTUS Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital, or Rapides Regional Medical Center). This isn't a general nursing scholarship - eligibility is explicitly tied to current employment geography and employer, so a working LPN considering LSUA should confirm their specific job situation qualifies before assuming this funding applies. Renewal requires evidence of continued enrollment, employment commitment, and a fresh application each semester, so this is an ongoing commitment to document, not a one-time award.

LSUA launched its first evening ASN cohort in January 2025 specifically in response to internal data showing 70% of current nursing students are married and 48% have children or serve as caregivers - a structural accommodation most competing ASN programs in the region don't offer. The evening format runs Monday and Tuesday evening classes with clinical training on Saturdays, and the school has stated plans to expand to two evening course offerings by Fall 2025 and all four clinical courses by Fall 2026. Because this option is new and actively expanding, a prospective student weighing work/family obligations against a nursing career should ask directly about current evening-cohort capacity and course availability rather than assuming the schedule described in older materials is still accurate.