College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Lawrence Technological University

MISmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #814 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth composite rank: #814 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Lawrence Technological University is a private nonprofit university in Southfield, Michigan, where nearly half of bachelor's degrees are in Engineering. Return is among the highest we track, and the university's strongest sits far above the other three.

The typical graduate out-earns what predicts for similar students, and earnings are above the median at comparable schools. The model attributes more of that gain to a remainder it does not explain than to the factors it measures.

The price case is mixed. The sits above the median for comparable institutions, and affordability is below the levels seen at many peers.

Pell students complete at a rate below the cohort as a whole, and both access and mobility are below the levels seen at many peers. The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. Mechanical Engineering is both the largest program and the highest-paid, while Design and Applied Arts pays nearly as well with fewer degrees awarded.

Lawrence Technological University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
55.9%
Six-year completion[2]
60.6%
Four-year earnings[3]
$90,760

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$28,082
Median student debt[4]
$27,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$54,800

Lawrence Technological University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Lawrence Technological University is a private nonprofit university in Southfield, Michigan, enrolling 1,668 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, but that single number conceals a wide split among the four pillars.

Return is the strongest pillar, while affordability is the weakest of the four. The university admits 55.9% of applicants, a rate well below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 78.4% return for a second year, against a median of 74.2% for comparable institutions. The six-year graduation rate is 60.6%, compared to a median of 54.9% for comparable institutions.

An estimated 14.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes the first-time full-time cohort and not the full student body. The four pillars sit far apart here.

Return is the clear outlier, while access and mobility sit in the teens and affordability trails. The shape is a moderately selective private university in Michigan where the return on investment is strong, but the net price and debt figures tell a different story.

Return is the clear bright spot in Lawrence Technological University’s Azimuth profile, even as affordability is its weakest area. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places return in the 95th percentile, its strongest pillar.

Azimuth puts access in the 13th percentile and mobility in the 17th percentile. Affordability sits in the 6th percentile, the weakest pillar.

15.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the federal aid program that serves as Azimuth's measure of financial access to the university. Azimuth ranks Lawrence Technological University #1,281 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 49.0%, below the rate for the cohort as a whole by 11.6 percentage points (the overall six-year rate is 60.6%). That gap is expressed in percentage points, and it accompanies the university's standing in the access pillar.

The access pillar rests on both the share of Pell students and their completion relative to the overall cohort. Azimuth ranks the university #1,214 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that coincides with the mobility pillar's standing.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Lawrence Technological University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#814

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 17
Access & reach
National percentile: 13
Affordability
National percentile: 6
Return on investment
National percentile: 95

01 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

Lawrence Technological University cost & financial aid[6][7]

At Lawrence Technological University, the published annual cost of attendance is $58,166, leaving a relatively expensive starting point before aid. Tuition and fees are $44,760, and room and board add $11,930.

For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $32,918. Average financial aid savings of $25,248 reduce the published price, though those figures are averages rather than a family-specific offer.

The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, with Lawrence Technological University above it by $10,571. Azimuth ranks the university #1,328 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The higher-than-peer net price and low affordability ranking point in the same direction.

Lawrence Technological University carries a published cost of attendance of $58,166. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,980 for the lowest-income family band, $27,036 for the lower-middle band, $28,082 for the middle band, $33,632 for the upper-middle band, and $37,492 for the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,512. Azimuth ranks the university #1,328 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 43% of the published cost, an average savings of $25,248 against the sticker price. Among first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $32,918.

That figure is $10,571 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $44,760, and the average price after aid remains above the peer reference.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 91.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

The median is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $54,800.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$28,082

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Lawrence Technological University

Federal borrowing is common at Lawrence Technological University, and its typical debt level sits above that of comparable institutions. 91.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000.

Lawrence Technological University's median is $2,000 above that figure, so the borrowing picture is somewhat higher than its peer benchmark. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $54,800.

The return picture is strong for Lawrence Technological University, though median borrowing is above that of comparable institutions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $90,760 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations also ranks highly: graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that measure in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios range from $63,201 in a downside case to $99,640 in an upside case, with $90,760 as the typical scenario.

Median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000, which is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

High modeled earnings and above-expected results point toward return, even as borrowing is higher than at comparable institutions.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $54,800. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$27,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$54,800

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$307/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$696/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

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.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

Lawrence Technological University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Lawrence Technological University posts $90,760 in median earnings four years after completion, placing its earnings measure in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the university’s return pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,176. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $12,580.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $7,127. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median, the middle value, is $55,915; the university is $34,845 above it.

Higher-than-expected earnings and its position above the peer median point the same way.

Lawrence Technological University graduates who received federal aid and are working and not enrolled earn a median of $90,760 four years after completing a degree. That median lands in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is based on a cohort of 368 completers. Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The figure is the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $63,201 on the downside to $99,640 on the upside, with typical earnings at $90,760. An estimated 24.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The return picture is strong: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $90,760 four years after completion, placing them in the 94th percentile. Against the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions of the same type and size, Lawrence Technological University stands $34,845 above $55,915.

Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 94th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,176. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $12,580.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $7,127. Azimuth ranks Lawrence Technological University #77 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Downside and upside earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix are $63,201 and $99,640. The peer comparison and the model both point toward higher earnings.

At the program level, Mechanical Engineering is the largest listed field, with 60 degrees awarded and median earnings of $100,145 four years after completion. Its earnings are 1.09x the national median for its field.

Design and Applied Arts awarded 20 degrees and has median earnings of $99,444, a 1.93x ratio against its field’s national median.

Graduate earnings vary across Lawrence Technological University’s modeled outcomes and published program medians. The downside earnings scenario is $63,201 and the upside scenario is $99,640, both modeled from the program mix rather than observed groups. The modeled span and program medians show that earnings differ by field.

Strong earnings at Lawrence Technological University come with borrowing that is higher than at comparable institutions. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000; this measure excludes Parent PLUS and private loans.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, and the university’s debt figure is $2,000 above it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students. For parent borrowers separately, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $54,800. The earnings signal is favorable, but borrower debt sits above the peer median.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$5,176
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$12,580
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$17,756

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

Lawrence Technological University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Lawrence Technological University admitted 55.9% of applicants to the reported entering class, a lower share than the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
55.9%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

What are the largest majors at Lawrence Technological University?[12]

Program-level earnings place Design and Applied Arts alongside engineering at the higher-earning end, rather than separating technical fields from every other large program. Four years after completion, Mechanical Engineering shows median earnings of $100,145 and 60 degrees awarded.

Design and Applied Arts follows at $99,444, with 20 degrees awarded. The more moderate-earning fields remain well represented in the program mix.

Civil Engineering records median earnings of $83,291 four years after completion and 21 degrees awarded, while Computer Science records $82,464 and 31 degrees awarded. The spread shows that earnings vary across fields, including among the university's larger programs.

Engineering accounts for 47.0% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, giving Lawrence Technological University a program mix centered on technical fields. The largest programs with published earnings are Mechanical Engineering, with 60 degrees awarded; Electrical Engineering, with 45; and Computer Science, with 31.

The results vary across these sizable fields, but the engineering-heavy degree mix aligns with the university’s return strength.

Lawrence Technological University is an engineering school at its core. Engineering accounts for 47.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Architecture a distant second at 11.6% and Computer & Information Sciences third at 9.7%.

The university has 6 programs with published four-year earnings data, and the largest by degrees awarded are Mechanical Engineering at 60, Electrical Engineering at 45, and Computer Science at 31. The largest program, Mechanical Engineering, is also the highest-earning.

Its completers earn a median of $100,145 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.09x against the national median for its field. Design and Applied Arts is a much smaller program at 20 degrees awarded, but its completers earn $99,444 four years after completion, nearly matching the largest engineering programs.

Its benchmark ratio against the national median for its field is 1.93x. The pattern is concentrated: the five largest programs are all in engineering or computer science, and their earnings range from $80,937 to $100,145. 53.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Mechanical Engineering 60 degrees awarded
$100,145
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering 45 degrees awarded
$97,532
Architectural Sciences and Technology 38 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Computer Science 31 degrees awarded
$82,464
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 27 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Biomedical/Medical Engineering 22 degrees awarded
$80,937

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

How does Lawrence Technological University serve students from different backgrounds?

Completion is uneven across cohorts, even as graduates’ modeled earnings exceed expectations. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 60.6%, while Pell recipients complete within six years at 49.0%, below the overall rate by 11.6 percentage points.

Earnings beyond expectations is favorable: Graduates earn about $17,756 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 17th percentile. Above-expected earnings sit alongside a Pell completion rate below the overall rate.

Pell Grant recipients account for 15.5% of undergraduates at Lawrence Technological University, a narrower financial-access presence within its undergraduate population. The university enrolls 1,668 undergraduates, admits 55.9% of applicants, and has an estimated 14.7% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group.

Azimuth puts its access pillar at the 13th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Pell share, admission rate, and transfer estimate sit alongside that lower access standing.

06 / Lawrence Technological University briefing

What colleges are similar to Lawrence Technological University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Lawrence Technological University.

Admissions peerAlma College57.0% admitted
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityAlma College
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$55,040-$35,720 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$20,694-$12,224 vs Lawrence Technological University · lower cost
Admission rate55.9%57.0%
Higher-admission alternativeKettering University78.7% admitted
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityKettering University
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$99,943+$9,183 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$34,660+$1,742 vs Lawrence Technological University · higher cost
Admission rate55.9%78.7%
Explore Kettering University →
Nearby alternativeKettering UniversityNearby option · MI
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityKettering University
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$99,943+$9,183 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$34,660+$1,742 vs Lawrence Technological University · higher cost
Admission rate55.9%78.7%
Explore Kettering University →
Higher-earnings alternativeAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences$113,282 earnings
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityAlbany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$113,282+$22,522 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$29,882-$3,036 vs Lawrence Technological University · lower cost
Admission rate55.9%52.7%
Explore Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn$9,492 average net price
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityUniversity of Michigan-Dearborn
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$77,294-$13,466 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$9,492-$23,426 vs Lawrence Technological University · lower cost
Admission rate55.9%55.6%
Explore University of Michigan-Dearborn →
Similar profileRockhurst UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Lawrence Technological University
MeasureLawrence Technological UniversityRockhurst University
Peer earnings · 4 years$90,760$76,125-$14,635 vs Lawrence Technological University
Average annual net price$32,918$25,884-$7,034 vs Lawrence Technological University · lower cost
Admission rate55.9%69.6%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings