Lake Superior College
Public Community College in Duluth, MN. Six-year graduation rate 42%. Median 10-year earnings $46,449.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $46,449 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 42% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $12,775.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.28 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion sits at 42%, meaning about three in five students who enroll leave without finishing. First-year retention is 61% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Transfer-out runs to 14% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,456 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $14,131 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($12,326 versus $19,519), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Grant aid reaches 52% of students at an average of $4,795. 35% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 342 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,326 |
| $30–48k | $12,640 |
| $48–75k | $14,792 |
| $75–110k | $17,372 |
| $110k+ | $19,519 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 857 of these 2,456 students, totalling $5,286,235 — an average of $6,168 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (St. Louis County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)