Louisiana State University, located in Baton Rouge, USA, is the only flagship state university with five Earth and Ocean science disciplines clustered inside the global top 150 on ARWU’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. The Baton Rouge campus ranks #851-900 in QS World University Rankings 2026 and #308 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026, with Earth Sciences placed at #101-150 on ARWU GRAS.

  • QS World University Rankings 2027: #901-950 globally
  • Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #308 globally, #137 in USA
  • ARWU (Shanghai) 2025: #401-500 globally
  • THE World University Rankings 2026: #601-800 globally

Bottom Line for Indian Students: The Louisiana State University ranking story splits into two readings: an above-band ARWU research signal at #401-500, and a below-band QS reputation signal at #851-900. ARWU sits over 400 places above QS, a gap that the broader QS number does not capture for STEM applicants. For Indian students targeting Earth Sciences, Civil Engineering, Oceanography or Computer Science, this rank pattern is the practical filter for the shortlist.

Explore the guide for Indian students to study in the US  

Landscape infographic showcasing Louisiana State University (LSU) global rankings and academic strengths. The design uses LSU’s signature purple and gold color scheme with a clean white background and large, bold typography. The LSU logo and university name are prominently displayed at the top alongside Baton Rouge, USA. Four ranking panels highlight QS World University Rankings 2026 at #851–900 globally, Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 at #308 globally and #137 in the USA, ARWU 2025 at #401–500 globally, and Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 at #601–800 globally. A featured banner at the bottom emphasizes LSU’s strongest subject performance, noting Earth Sciences ranked #101–150 globally in ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. The layout is professional, structured, and designed for quick comparison of major global rankings.

Louisiana State University Overall Rankings 2026

LSU’s overall position climbs by one full band when readers shift from QS (reputation-weighted) to ARWU (research-weighted). The gap between #851-900 on QS and #401-500 on ARWU is the single sharpest cross-body signal in the university’s rank pattern.

Ranking Body (Edition) Louisiana State University Rank
Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 (Global) #308
Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 (USA) #137
QS World University Rankings 2026 #851-900
THE World University Rankings 2026 #601-800
ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 #401-500

ARWU 2025 is the strongest result across all bodies. ARWU rewards universities with high-impact research papers and Nobel-linked faculty, which is why LSU sits roughly 425 places higher on ARWU than on QS.

Check out the admissions at the Louisiana State University


Louisiana State University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students

For Indian applicants, the LSU rank pattern reads stronger when you look past the headline QS band. ARWU placement and CD’s national rank of #137 in USA carry more weight for STEM-track admits than the overall QS figure.

Indicator Value What it means for Indian applicants
ARWU Earth Sciences 2026 #101-150 Top-150 globally for Earth-focused MS applicants
ARWU Civil Engineering 2025 #101-150 Strong pick for MS Civil Engineering aspirants
CD Computer Science 2026 #228 globally,
#78 USA
Mid-tier MS CS choice at sub-Ivy fee level
IIT Bombay QS World 2027  #134 globally LSU sits below IIT Bombay;
Degree pay-off comes from US OPT and STEM extension access
QS Sustainability Rankings 2026 #274 globally Strong signal for climate, energy and policy applicants

CD’s national rank of #137 in USA reads more useful than QS’s broader #851-900 band when ranking US public flagships by degree value. The IIT Bombay gap of over 720 positions on QS is offset for Indian applicants by US work-permit access, which IIT Bombay degrees do not carry.

Key insight

  • ARWU-vs-QS gap: LSU sits over 400 places higher on ARWU than on QS, signalling research output that survey-based reputation does not capture.
  • CD-vs-QS gap: CD places LSU at #308 globally and #137 in USA, more than 540 places ahead of the QS World band midpoint.
  • Sub-Ivy fee tier: Tuition near ₹28 Lakhs per year sits well below most QS top-200 USA universities for the same MS degree.

Louisiana State University QS World University Rankings 2026

The Louisiana State University QS ranking stands at #851-900 in QS World University Rankings 2026, a 50-band recovery from #901-950 the year before. QS rates universities mainly on academic reputation, employer opinion, citations and international diversity.

Year Louisiana State University QS Rank
2027 #901-950
2026 #851-900
2025 #901-950
2024 #801-850
2023 #801-1000
2022 #801-1000

Across the five editions, LSU has stayed inside the #801-950 band with a single dip in 2025. The 2026 rebound from #901-950 back to #851-900 closes most of the slip, leaving the rank within 50 bands of the 2024 figure.

Key insight: The 5-edition band midpoint averages near #870, so the 2026 rank of #851-900 sits at LSU’s long-run normal rather than a one-edition swing.

Read More: Louisiana State University Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students


Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Louisiana State University

Collegedunia Study Abroad places LSU well inside the global top 350 and the USA top 150. Law and Computer Science lead the category-level CD scores, both ranking above the overall global figure.

Category Collegedunia Global Rank Collegedunia USA Rank
Overall #308 #137
Law #203 #70
Computer Science #228 #78
Engineering #263 #97
Medicine #279 #96
Health Care #279 #96
Social Studies #307 #97
Arts #313 #101
Humanities #313 #101

Only Law (#203) and Computer Science (#228) sit ahead of LSU’s overall #308 global figure. The 105-place gap between Law and the overall rank reflects the brand weight of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, which carries Louisiana’s only ABA-accredited dual-degree civil-law programme.

India-relevance: CD Engineering (#97 in USA) and Computer Science (#78 in USA) both outperform the QS national band, useful for STEM-track Indian applicants building a fee-versus-rank shortlist.

Explore the Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings 2026  


Louisiana State University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings

ARWU, which scores universities by research output and high-impact publications, places LSU inside the #401-500 band every year since 2022. That ranks LSU about 425 positions higher than its QS band, the largest cross-body gap in its rank pattern.

Year Louisiana State University ARWU Rank
2025 #401-500
2024 #401-500
2023 #401-500
2022 #401-500
2021 #501-600

LSU moved up one full band between 2021 and 2022, then stayed inside #401-500 for four consecutive editions. A 4-edition band lock signals research output that does not swing with year-to-year methodology tweaks.

Trend signal: The 2022 jump from #501-600 to #401-500 has held for 4 straight editions, the longest stable band run for LSU across any ranking body.

Check out the top ARWU ranked universities in the US 


Louisiana State University Other Global Rankings

Two non-QS, non-ARWU rankings carry verified LSU positions for the current cycle. Times Higher Education places LSU inside its #601-800 World band, and QS Sustainability places it at #274 globally.

Ranking Edition Louisiana State University Rank
THE World University Rankings 2026 #601-800
QS Sustainability Rankings 2027 #274

The QS Sustainability rank of #274 is LSU’s single highest position across any QS list, roughly 580 places above its QS World band. For climate, energy and environmental policy applicants from India, the Sustainability score is the more relevant Louisiana State University ranking number to track.

Check out the top Universities as per the QS Sustainability Rankings 2026


Louisiana State University Subject Rankings

The Louisiana State University subject rankings are far stronger than its overall world rank. Five disciplines cluster inside the global top 150 on ARWU, and Computer Science breaks the THE top 300 in 2026.

Strongest subjects for Indian applicants

  • Earth Sciences (ARWU 2025): #101-150, roughly 300 places above LSU’s overall ARWU band.
  • Ecology (ARWU 2025): #101-150, inside the top 7% of universities ranked in the discipline.
  • Oceanography (ARWU 2025): #101-150, anchored by the LSU College of the Coast and Environment.
  • Civil Engineering (ARWU 2025): #101-150, the strongest engineering signal on campus.
  • Computer Science (THE 2026): #251-300, the strongest THE subject result.

Louisiana State University ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025

ARWU GRAS ranks LSU in 8 subjects across natural sciences, engineering and communication. Five of those subjects sit inside the global top 150, a cluster that no other LSU ranking body matches.

Subject ARWU GRAS 2025 Rank
Earth Sciences #101-150
Ecology #101-150
Oceanography #101-150
Civil Engineering #101-150
Communication #101-150
Water Resources #151-200
Physics #201-300
Chemistry #201-300

Five ARWU subjects inside #101-150 sit roughly 300 places above LSU’s overall ARWU band of #401-500. For Indian MS applicants choosing between US public universities, this subject-vs-overall gap is the single sharpest argument for shortlisting LSU.

What it signals: The 5 top-150 ARWU subjects sit in natural sciences and environmental engineering, mirroring LSU’s federal research funding from Gulf Coast and Mississippi delta ecosystem programmes.

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Louisiana State University THE Subject Rankings 2026

THE ranks LSU in 11 subjects for the 2026 edition. Computer Science (#251-300) is the only subject that beats LSU’s overall THE band of #601-800 by more than 300 positions.

Subject Louisiana State University THE 2026 Rank
Computer Science #251-300
Law #301-400
Physical Sciences #301-400
Medical and Health #401-500
Psychology #401-500
Arts and Humanities #501-600
Education Studies #501-600
Engineering #501-600
Business and Economics #601-800
Life Sciences #601-800
Social Sciences #601-800

Computer Science, Law and Physical Sciences each beat LSU’s overall THE band by 200 or more positions. For Indian MS CS applicants, this is the only LSU subject result that places the university inside the global top 300 on THE.

India-relevance: THE Computer Science at #251-300 sits closer to many top-200 US universities than the overall band suggests, useful when comparing US STEM degrees by per-rupee value.

Check out the bachelor’s degree in the US for Indian students 


Louisiana State University Rankings: Indian Student Outlook

The Louisiana State University ranking for Indian students reads sharper when you weigh subject ranks against the overall band. The CD national rank of #137 in the USA and five ARWU top-150 subjects are the practical anchors for a STEM-led shortlist.

Indian students at LSU concentrate in five program tracks where the subject ranks justify the fee tier.

Popular Program for Indian Students Relevant Ranking Signal
MS Computer Science THE Computer Science 2026: #251-300
MS Analytics CD Computer Science 2026: #228 globally
MS Civil Engineering ARWU Civil Engineering 2025: #101-150
MBA (Full-time, E. J. Ourso College) CD Social Studies 2026: #307 globally
BS Computer Science CD CS USA 2026: #78

Key insight for Indian applicants

  • CD-vs-QS gap: CD places LSU more than 540 positions higher than the QS band midpoint, pointing to under-rated national positioning useful for affordability-driven shortlists.
  • Subject-vs-overall gap: ARWU Earth Sciences and Civil Engineering each sit roughly 300 places above LSU’s overall ARWU band, the strongest single argument for STEM applicants.
  • Stability signal: ARWU has held LSU inside #401-500 for 4 straight editions, signalling research output that does not swing with methodology changes.
  • Peer comparator: IIT Bombay sits at #129 in QS World 2026, over 720 places above LSU; the LSU degree pay-off for Indian applicants is the US OPT and STEM-extension access that an IIT degree does not carry.

Check out the scholarships offered at the Louisiana State University

Across QS, THE, ARWU and Collegedunia Study Abroad, Louisiana State University’s strongest signal is a 4-edition lock inside the ARWU #401-500 band paired with five ARWU subjects in the global top 150. For Indian applicants choosing a public US flagship for MS Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences or Computer Science, the subject-level data carries more weight than the QS #851-900 headline. The 540-place CD-vs-QS gap is the practical filter when building a shortlist by fee tier.


Louisiana State University Ranking FAQs

Ques. Is Louisiana State University a top-500 university?

Ans. LSU is ranked #401-500 in ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 and #308 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026. It is not inside the QS or THE top 500 for the current edition.

Ques. How is Louisiana State University ranked for Computer Science?

Ans. LSU is ranked #251-300 in THE Computer Science 2026 and #228 globally on Collegedunia Computer Science 2026. Computer Science is LSU’s strongest THE subject result and the only one that sits inside the global top 300.

Ques. Which subjects is Louisiana State University ranked highest in?

Ans. LSU is ranked #101-150 globally in Earth Sciences, Ecology, Oceanography, Civil Engineering and Communication on ARWU GRAS 2025. These five subjects sit roughly 300 places above LSU’s overall ARWU band.

Ques. What is the USA national rank of Louisiana State University?

Ans. LSU is ranked #137 out of 357 USA universities on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026. The CD national rank reads more useful than the QS band when comparing US public flagships by degree value.

Ques. Does Louisiana State University rank well for Indian students?

Ans. For Indian applicants targeting Earth Sciences, Civil Engineering, Oceanography or Computer Science, the Louisiana State University rankings for Indian students read stronger than the overall band suggests. Five ARWU subjects sit inside the global top 150, with QS Sustainability at #274 as an added signal for climate and energy applicants.