Lake Superior State University
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan · Website
$49,045
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$49,045
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Lake Superior State University is a public 4-year college in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan with 1,325 undergraduates and 16 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,822 a year (tuition and fees $14,890). 51% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $49,045 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,250 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,822
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$14,890
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
51%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,250
About $246 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,045
Rank 1,553 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,822
- Tuition and fees
- $14,890
- Cost of attendance
- $27,154
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 37%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $3,516
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,226
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $10,422
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $14,541
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $20,321
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $10,580 in 2015-16 to $14,890 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- SAT reading, middle
- 535
- SAT math, middle
- 520
- ACT, middle
- 23
- Undergraduates
- 1,325
- Graduate students
- 16
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 51%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 79
- Endowment
- $39.3M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,553 of 5,094 US colleges and 37 of 145 in Michigan (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MI median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,822 | $17,194 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $14,890 | $15,221 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 81% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 51% | 59% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 70% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,250 | $13,000 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $42,767 | $32,840 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,045 | $36,115 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 62% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 72% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
79 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 59 | $16,523 | $33,753 | $38,997 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $25,000 | $68,007 | $70,959 | $88,910 |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $22,500 | $34,729 | $44,090 | $47,243 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $22,500 | $43,937 | $58,286 | $55,378 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | $14,000 | $44,635 | $57,894 | $46,706 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | $39,198 | $53,396 | $68,257 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | $77,229 | $90,216 | $92,135 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | $46,435 | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,162 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Homeland SecurityAssociate's | Associate's | 10 | $21,875 | $42,663 | $65,738 | $58,829 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $68,407 |
| Fire ProtectionBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $86,436 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,303 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,634 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,842 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,366 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | $19,500 | $47,038 | $60,167 | $76,194 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,343 |
| MarketingCertificate | Certificate | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Sault Ste Marie and Michigan on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Michigan
- Homes: Homes for sale in Michigan
Questions and answers
How much does Lake Superior State University cost?
$12,822 a year is the average net price at Lake Superior State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $14,890, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $27,154. Families earning under $30,000 pay $3,516 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Lake Superior State University?
Lake Superior State University has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Lake Superior State University graduates earn?
$49,045 a year is the median pay of former Lake Superior State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($42,767 after 6 years). That ranks 1,553 of 5,094 US colleges and 37 of 145 in Michigan. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's) at $77,229.
How much student debt do Lake Superior State University graduates have?
$23,250 is the median federal student loan debt of Lake Superior State University graduates, about $246 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 37% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Lake Superior State University?
51% of first-time, full-time students at Lake Superior State University finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Lake Superior State University?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (59 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (38 bachelor's graduates), Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management (25 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 79 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.