Private for-profit · Community college
Protege Academy
East Lansing, Michigan · Large suburb
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $12,179
- Avg net price
- 78%
- Grad / completion
- $19,499
- Median earnings
Protege Academy is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in East Lansing, Michigan (large suburb setting), enrolling 72 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. By 1850, the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company was established to connect a toll road to the Detroit and Howell Plank Road, improving travel between Detroit and Lansing, which cut right through what is now East Lansing. The net size of the area where renting is prohibited has increased since 2004. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 5 miles to Lansing, MI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 71 miles
- Nearest airport
- 8 miles to Capital Region (LAN)
How Protege Academy compares
Higher than 74% · #23 of 96 in Michigan
Higher than 86%
Higher than 5% · #78 of 88 in Michigan
Cheaper than 61% · #37 cheapest of 94 in Michigan
Lower than 48%
Lower than 82%
Larger than 20%
Percentiles compare Protege Academy 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 Michigan.
Student body
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black13%
- Hispanic6.9%
- Other or multiracial4.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 72
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 62%
- First-generation students
- 46%
- Students over 25
- 18%
- Median family income
- $19,357
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $12,179
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
- 78%
- First-year retention
- 94%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $21,793
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $19,499
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,833
- Students with federal loans
- 64%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 20%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
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.
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?
Protege Academy funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $19,499
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,833
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 50%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- —
Typical debt would take roughly 5.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 34.3″
- Annual snow
- 36″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, East Lansing 4 S, MI US station (3.9 mi from campus).
What Protege Academy graduates study — and earn
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 Protege Academy
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Protege Academy side by side →
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Nuvo College of Cosmetology
Norton Shores, Michigan · Small city · 34 mi to Grand Rapids
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- Tuition
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French Academy of Cosmetology
Spring Lake, Michigan · Midsize suburb · 28 mi to Grand Rapids
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Paul Mitchell the School-Great Lakes
Port Huron, Michigan · Small suburb · 54 mi to Detroit
- Students
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- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
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Colleges near Protege Academy
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public · Bachelor's · 40,922 students
Douglas J Aveda Institute
East Lansing, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 777 students
Lansing Community College
Lansing, MI · Public · Associate · 8,207 students
Thomas M Cooley Law School
Lansing, MI · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Ross Medical Education Center-Lansing
Lansing, MI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 135 students
Great Lakes Christian College
Lansing, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 197 students
Baker College
Owosso, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,026 students
Cleary University
Howell, MI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 738 students
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.