Public · Community college

Lorain County Community College

Elyria, Ohio · Midsize suburb

#2 best value in Ohio
18%
Transfer rate
$3,967
Avg net price
31%
Grad / completion
$38,837
Median earnings

Lorain County Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Elyria, Ohio (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 5,373 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 5,373 undergradsMidsize suburbNJCAA Division IIICold wintersSnowy

About Elyria, Ohio

Elyria is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Ely began to build more houses to accommodate European-American settlers migrating to what was, at that time, within Huron County, Ohio. Elyria has a large number of parks and recreational centers that include a variety of activities such as baseball and playground equipment. The four recreational centers are named after their locations: North, East, South, and West. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
6 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) · major hub

How Lorain County Community College compares

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 14% · #141 of 168 in Ohio

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,837

Higher than 65% · #69 of 157 in Ohio

Average net price$3,967

Cheaper than 94% · #2 cheapest of 155 in Ohio

Median debt at graduation$13,680

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 62%

Undergraduate enrollment5,373

Larger than 92%

Percentiles compare Lorain County Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Ohio.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

5,373undergrads
  • Women3,26061%
  • Men2,11339%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian1.0%
  • Other or multiracial8.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,373
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
23%
Median family income
$21,057
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,920
Endowment
$53,408,463

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 1,224 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Ohio99%
  • Other U.S. states0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Lorain County Community College draws overwhelmingly from Ohio.

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
$4,265
Out-of-state tuition
$8,860
Room & board
Books & supplies
$806
Total cost of attendance
$9,860
Average net price
$3,967

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
31%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
18%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,660
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,837
Median debt at graduation
$13,680
Students with federal loans
7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
31%
Low-income (Pell)
12%
First-generation
13%

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
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division III
Varsity athletes
73 (41 men · 32 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 (5)

Basketball26
Baseball18
Softball11
Cross Country9
Volleyball9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (9,350 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Burglary
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
$3,099
$30–48k
$3,261
$48–75k
$4,874
$75–110k
$6,686
$110k+
$9,202

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.

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.

51%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,978
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 51% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,978. 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 626 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)
$38,837
Typical debt at graduation
$13,680
Debt vs. one year's pay
35%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.5 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
$34,953
Men
$45,165

Men out-earn women by $10,212 (29%) 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
85°F
Winter low
22°F
Annual rain
42″
Annual snow
43.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Elyria 3 E, OH US station (2.4 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 Lorain County Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lorain County Community College side by side →

Colleges near Lorain County Community College

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.