Its campus encompasses 512 acres (207 hectares), with an agricultural experimental station on an additional 372-acre (151-hectare) site, five miles (8.0 km) north of the main campus on Scott's Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section of Baton Rouge.

In 1880, the Louisiana General Assembly chartered what was then called Southern University for Colored Students, originally located in New Orleans.

[8] In 1890, the legislature designated Southern as a land grant college for blacks, in order to continue to satisfy federal requirements under the land grant program to support higher education for all students in the state, despite having a segregated system.

"[9] For various reasons, including proximity to more rural Louisiana residents and pressure from White neighbors in the Tulane area, in 1914 the university moved to Scotlandville, an area just north of Baton Rouge along Scott's Bluff facing the Mississippi River.

[10] Now absorbed into the capital, this area is included as a historic destination of the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

[citation needed] The Southern University Laboratory School System began operating in September 1922.

[citation needed] Under segregated state education, LSU Law School had refused to admit Charles J. Hatfield, III, an African American college graduate who filed a lawsuit in 1946 to gain professional education in the state.

Governor Edwin Edwards ordered the campus temporarily closed, and it was patrolled by troops to keep the peace.

In 1974, a special session in the Louisiana Legislature established the Southern University System, with Jesse N. Stone of Shreveport as its president.

[citation needed] Between 1970 and 1990, the university consistently enrolled over 10,000 students and secured the title of being the largest HBCU in the nation.

[13][14][15] Between 2004 and 2013, Southern University ranked 4th in the nation for baccalaureate-origin institution of black male doctorate recipients.

[citation needed] Southern University has nationally recognized Army and Navy ROTC programs.

The college is named after Southern University graduate and only woman president of the institution, Dr. Dolores Richard Spikes.

[citation needed] Lake Kernan flows through the center of the campus and the Mississippi River forms its western boundary.

[27] The notable buildings include: Southern University has eight on-campus residence halls (four males-only, two females-only, and two co-ed).

[28] The Smith-Brown Memorial Union is a 66,200-square-foot (6,150 m2) multipurpose building that serves as a major center for extracurricular activities.

Southern's sports teams participate in Division I (FCS for football) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

[33] The Southern University marching band, better known as the Human Jukebox, has been featured in numerous television commercials, music videos and has been invited to participate in the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, presidential inauguration ceremonies and six Super Bowl halftime presentations.

[35][36] "The Bluff" is an Internet radio station managed by students that offers a mixture of news, interviews, and music.

The organizations belong in one of the following categories: Academic, Honors Societies, Multicultural, Non-NPHC Greeks, NPHC Greeks, Political, Professional, Religious, Service, Social, Special Interest, Sports, School Spirit, and SU Royal Court.

Henry J. Bellaire, alumnus and president of the 1961 senior class, and alumna Helen Williams presented a baby jaguar as a gift to Southern University.