Two students from Perth's Curtin University have been shot in New Orleans in the United States.

The university has confirmed the students are in hospital and are reported to be in a stable condition.

It said the students were in the United States as part of the WA School of Mines Wombats team, which took part in the Intercollegiate Mining Games.

At the end of the games the students travelled to New Orleans as part of a private holiday.

The students' families have been contacted and are arranging travel to the US, Curtin University said.

The university was providing support to the injured students, their families and the others in the group who were not in the area of the shooting at the time.

Curtin said it was a very distressing situation and its thoughts were with the students and their families.

A local newspaper has reported the students are both men aged in their early 20s.

It quotes a local police superintendent as saying that one of the men was shot in the stomach and the other in the chest in the neighbourhood of Algiers on Tuesday.

WA School of Mines director Sam Spearing was flying to New Orleans on Wednesday night.