10-yr median earnings
$49,045
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a public institution in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $12,822
- Avg net price / yr
- $49,045
- 10-yr median earnings
- 53.8%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Lake Superior State University posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 30%
- former-student earnings, US
- 53.8%
- 150%-time completion
- +15%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Town: Remote
Carnegie: Bacc: Diverse
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Lake Superior State University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Diverse Fields"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
56/100
Lake Superior State University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B-
$49,045
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B-
$12,822
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate D
53.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,250
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B+
75.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention C
78.8%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$12,822
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
53.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 53.8%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Lake Superior State University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Lake Superior State University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Lake Superior State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$49,045 Top 30% higher than 70% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Lake Superior State University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,045 | #1553 of 5103 | 70th |
| Average net price | $12,822 | #1681 of 5020 | 67th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 53.8% | #2689 of 4858 | 45th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,325 | #1887 of 5462 | 65th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,325
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
53.8%
150%-time completion
$49,045
10-yr median earnings
78.8%
First-year retention
How Lake Superior State University ranks in Michigan
State rank among 145 reporting Michigan colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Lake Superior State University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $49,045 | #37 of 145 | 74th |
| Average net price | $12,822 | #49 of 138 | 64th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 53.8% | #72 of 132 | 45th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,325 | #47 of 149 | 68th |
Highest former-student earnings in Michigan
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kettering University | $94,823 | $34,660 |
| 2 | Chamberlain University-Michigan | $92,405 | $28,045 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $83,648 | $13,138 |
| 4 | Michigan Technological University | $78,198 | $14,182 |
| 5 | Walsh College | $72,081 | - |
| 6 | University of Detroit Mercy | $71,030 | $15,232 |
| 7 | Lawrence Technological University | $69,151 | $32,918 |
| 8 | Michigan State University | $67,253 | $19,680 |
| 9 | Kalamazoo College | $65,590 | $19,072 |
| 10 | Thomas M Cooley Law School | $63,450 | - |
| 11 | Northwood University | $63,075 | $27,232 |
| 12 | Universal Technical Institute-Canton | $62,575 | $22,985 |
| 37 | Lake Superior State UniversityThis school | $49,045 | $12,822 |
Admissions
| ACT Average | 23 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Lake Superior State University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $3,516
$0 – $30k
$3,516 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$9,226 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$10,422 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$20,321 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Lake Superior State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $14,890 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $14,890 |
| Average Net Price | $12,822 |
26.5%
Pell Grant Rate
37.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,250
Median Debt
$246/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what Lake Superior State University costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +20.0% over 10 years, from $11,522 to $13,825 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $11,5222023 · $13,825
Over the same years, enrollment went -39.5% (2,299 → 1,391 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
55.6%
Female
33.0%
First Generation
Outcomes
78.8%
Retention Rate
$42,767
Median Earnings (6yr)
59.2%
Earning Over $25K
75.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 53.8% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 78.8% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $42,767 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $49,045 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 59.2% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 75.0% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $23,250 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $246/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 14 | 227 | $60,057 | $90,216 | $22,375 |
| Associate's | 3 | 71 | $54,210 | $65,738 | $17,466 |
Top programs at Lake Superior State University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
$90,216 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$70,959 median earnings
- Homeland Security
Homeland Security
$65,738 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$60,167 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$58,286 median earnings
- Criminal Justice and Corre…
Criminal Justice and Corrections
$57,894 median earnings
- Geological and Earth Scien…
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences
$56,905 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$53,396 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Murray State College
Tishomingo, OK
$12,844 net price · $22 apart
Oconee Fall Line Technical College
Sandersville, GA
$12,844 net price · $22 apart
Pine Technical & Community College
Pine City, MN
$12,798 net price · $24 apart
The University of Tennessee Southern
Pulaski, TN
$12,798 net price · $24 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Lake Superior State University? ▼
Lake Superior State University is a public institution in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,325 students.
How much do Lake Superior State University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Lake Superior State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $49,045 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $42,767.
How much does Lake Superior State University cost? ▼
The average net price at Lake Superior State University is $12,822. In-state tuition is $14,890 and out-of-state tuition is $14,890. Median student debt at graduation is $23,250.
What is the graduation rate at Lake Superior State University? ▼
Lake Superior State University has a 53.8% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 78.8%.
Is Lake Superior State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Lake Superior State University is $23,250, while former students earn a median of $49,045 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 47% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 75.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $246.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Lake Superior State University
- Compare Lake Superior State University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Michigan side by side.Browse Michigan
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.