Top lawmakers in Louisiana have requested a study for further information on the potential of the University of New Orleans rejoining the same system as LSU due to financial struggles. 

UNO is the only public research institution in New Orleans and was originally titled as Louisiana State University in New Orleans in 1958. UNO was a part of the LSU System until 2011, then it was moved to the University of Louisiana (UL) System. The switch in systems was greatly endorsed by alumni and supporters who believed the school was overlooked while in the LSU System.

Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Phillip DeVillier and President of the Louisiana State Senate Cameron Henry have been in contact with Board of Regents Chairwoman Misti Cordell, asking for the higher education oversight board to evaluate the impacts of moving UNO to the LSU System. By law, this study has a time limit of one year for the Board of Regents to conduct this study and report any impacts and information they receive.

Enrollment has significantly decreased since Hurricane Katrina, going from 17,000 students to 6,488 as of the Fall 2024 semester. UNO is currently encountering a vast budget shortage of $10 million, which has led to staff layoffs and spending freezes. Louisiana lawmakers believe that converting UNO back to the LSU System would provide more resources and overall stability to the struggling university.

The UNO relocation plan comes amid speculation about potential future restructuring efforts, including those between UNO and Southern University New Orleans. The outcome of the Board of Regents study could determine the fate of UNO and whether it will eventually come back to the LSU System.