Cost & financial aid brief
Lake Superior State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Lake Superior State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at Lake Superior State University. That is an average across all income bands, not a guarantee for any one family.
The pattern across bands shows aid is larger for lower-income families. The lowest-income band averages $3,516, while the highest averages $20,321. The spread between the two ends is $16,805.
Aid-recipient prices vary across family-income bands at Lake Superior State University. The published cost of attendance is $27,154.
Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $3,516 for the lowest family-income band; $9,226 for the lower-middle band; $10,422 for the middle band; $14,541 for the upper-middle band; and $20,321 for the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,805.
Azimuth ranks the university #361 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 53% of the published cost, an average savings of $14,332.
Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $12,822. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $12,822, and the university is level with that figure.
Published in-state tuition is $14,890, matching out-of-state tuition of $14,890. Aid-recipient pricing is close to the comparable-institution benchmark.
Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,250. The share of undergraduates taking federal loans is 83.8%, while the median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $19,500, with the university $3,750 above that benchmark.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,414.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
For borrowers who complete at Lake Superior State University, federal student loan debt sits above the benchmark for comparable institutions. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $23,250, excluding Parent PLUS and private loans.
Federal loans are used by 83.8% of federal aid recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $19,500, making the university's median $3,750 above that benchmark.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,414.
Lake Superior State University pairs earnings above expectation with federal borrowing above the comparable-college median. Median earnings are $56,687 four years after completion, placing the university in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations shows graduates earn about $1,858 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios range from $45,556 in the downside case to $78,200 in the upside case, with $56,687 as the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt is $23,250, $3,750 above the $19,500 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. The modeled earnings signals are favorable, while borrowing sits above the comparable-college median.
Parent borrowers at Lake Superior State University have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $23,414. For borrowers completing with the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $23,414
- Estimated parent payment
- $297/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $23,414
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $264/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $297/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $561/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $56,687, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.3% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.