Public · University

Lake Superior State University

Sault Ste Marie, Michigan · Remote town

Admit rate
$12,822
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$49,045
Median earnings

Lake Superior State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan (remote town setting), enrolling 1,325 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,325 undergradsRemote townNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Marie is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. For centuries, Oc̣eṭi Ṡakowiƞ (Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda), or Sioux, people lived in the area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
6 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Chippewa County (CIU)

How Lake Superior State University compares

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 42% · #30 of 44 in Michigan

First-year retention79%

Higher than 59%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$49,045

Higher than 36% · #34 of 45 in Michigan

Average net price$12,822

Cheaper than 81% · #10 cheapest of 44 in Michigan

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,325

Larger than 46%

Percentiles compare Lake Superior State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Michigan.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,341students
  • Undergraduate1,32599%
  • Graduate161%

Undergraduates by gender

1,325undergrads
  • Women73756%
  • Men58844%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic1.9%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial24%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,325
Graduate enrollment
16
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$49,053
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$72,000
Endowment
$39,257,131

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 254 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Michigan85%
  • Other U.S. states8.3%
  • International6.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Lake Superior State University draws overwhelmingly from Michigan.

7% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$14,890
Room & board
$11,459
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$27,154
Average net price
$12,822

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
31%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,767
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$49,045
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
55%

About 20% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
36%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,108
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
84%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
251 (136 men · 115 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)137
Basketball36
Ice Hockey29
Volleyball18
Golf13
Tennis13
Swimming5

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (1,567 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Statutory rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$3,516
$30–48k
$9,226
$48–75k
$10,422
$75–110k
$14,541
$110k+
$20,321

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$47,677

$10,422/year × about 4.6 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

78%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,626
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 78% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,626. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 269 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$49,045
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$44,412
Men
$54,989

Men out-earn women by $10,577 (24%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
77°F
Winter low
8°F
Annual rain
34.5″
Annual snow
120.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sault Ste Marie Sanderson Fld, MI US station (1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Lake Superior State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lake Superior State University side by side →

Colleges near Lake Superior State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.