Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Lake Superior State University

Students comparing Lake Superior State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan1,325 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 38Public universitySmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Lake Superior State University: U.S. News ranks it #13 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1092 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #739 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,325 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 51.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $14,890; aid recipients pay $12,822 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,045.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
Not reportedNot reported by Lake Superior State University in the most recent federal collection.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Average net price
$12,822

51% below the $26,349 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$49,045

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
51.0%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,250

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedLake Superior State University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Lake Superior ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Colleges (Midwest)#13of 94Regional colleges (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1092of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#739of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Lake Superior's position moves 59 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Lake Superior

Lake Superior State University is a public institution in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Federal data show 78.8% first-year retention and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,822 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $26,349 sticker cost against $12,822 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Lake Superior State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$14,890

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$14,890

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,459

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $26,349 a year, but the average family pays $12,822 — a 51% difference. 26.5% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Lake Superior's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    78.8%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,325

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Lake Superior: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $14,890 and on-campus room and board is $11,459, for a published total of $26,349 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,822.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is not reported. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Illinois Springfield

    Springfield, ILPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Illinois Springfield: U.S. News ranks it #28 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #387 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #518 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #551 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 2,263 undergraduates, admits 85.9% of applicants, and posts a 53.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,017; aid recipients pay $9,833 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,103.

    Acceptance rate
    85.9%
    Average net price
    $9,833
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,103
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#28 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#387 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#518 of 1,504+2 more on profile

    2,263 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 37 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Indiana University-South Bend

    South Bend, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University-South Bend: U.S. News ranks it #124 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #373 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #537 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,933 undergraduates, admits 83.8% of applicants, and posts a 40.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,811; aid recipients pay $8,653 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,947.

    Acceptance rate
    83.8%
    Average net price
    $8,653
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $44,947
    6-yr graduation rate
    40.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#124 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#373 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#537 of 2,605

    3,933 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Wisconsin-Superior

    Superior, WIPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Wisconsin-Superior: U.S. News ranks it #124 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #321 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #650 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,807 undergraduates, admits 93.0% of applicants, and posts a 41.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $16,726; aid recipients pay $12,220 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,606.

    Acceptance rate
    93.0%
    Average net price
    $12,220
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $49,606
    6-yr graduation rate
    41.9%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#124 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#321 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#650 of 2,605

    1,807 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 40 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Lake Superior against these