Lake State vs Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU)

Lake Superior State University (LSSU) and Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) are two public universities in Michigan with distinct characteristics. LSSU, located in Sault Ste. Marie, has a smaller student body and a lower acceptance rate compared to SVSU in University Center. LSSU offers a range of programs, including engineering, nursing, and business, while SVSU has a broader selection of majors, including education, health sciences, and social sciences. Both universities have a diverse student body, with SVSU having a slightly higher percentage of female students. While LSSU boasts a higher graduation rate, SVSU offers more affordable tuition and fees. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Lake Superior State University logo

Lake Superior State University

Saginaw Valley State University logo

Saginaw Valley State University

Overview

Location Sault Ste Marie, Michigan University Center, Michigan
Campus setting Town: Remote Suburb: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 67.0% 73.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 73.3% 77.8%
Application fees
SAT range 950 - 1160 960 - 1170
ACT range 18 - 27 19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 43.0% 80.0%
Students submitting ACT score 9.0% 6.0%
Total number of applicants 2,411 5,899
Total number of admissions given out 1,767 4,590
Admitted students who chose to enroll 373 1,336
Yield rate 21.1% 29.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $24,150
In state: $26,036

Out of state: $41,050
Average net price $13,583 $15,476
Tuition $12,912
In state: $11,130

Out of state: $26,144
Room & board $11,516
Room/dormitory: $4,608

Meal plan: $4,150
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

97.0%
Average amount $10,820
98.0%
Average amount $7,607
Students receiving federal student loan 59.0%
Average amount $4,800
54.0%
Average amount $5,138
Students taking out private loans 10.0%
Average amount $14,945
6.0%
Average amount $9,204

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,812
Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
6,789
Men 35.6% Women 64.4%
Graduate students N/A 734
Men 21.1% Women 78.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students 13.8% N/A
International students 1.2% 3.2%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 850 2,233
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Michigan Indiana Minnesota Illinois Ohio N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Law Enforcement and Firefighting
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Liberal Arts
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Business
  • Engineering
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 52.4% 42.5%
Dropout rate 16.6% 53.3%
Transferred out 27.7% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,165
  • Year 2: $58,601
  • Year 3: $60,574
Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $54,778
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $35,343
  • Year 2: $39,639
  • Year 3: $48,561
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $36,312
  • Year 3: $47,637
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,532
  • Year 2: $35,988
  • Year 3: $41,129
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,840
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $40,637
Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $24,289
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: $34,996
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: N/A
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,914
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: N/A
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,762
  • Year 2: $73,378
  • Year 3: $76,097
Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,415
  • Year 2: $64,990
  • Year 3: $71,386
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,169
  • Year 3: $70,201
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,282
  • Year 2: $64,990
  • Year 3: $66,489
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,511
  • Year 2: $61,688
  • Year 3: $63,045
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,063
  • Year 2: $56,776
  • Year 3: $62,740
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $60,104
Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $40,641
  • Year 3: $55,381
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,943
  • Year 2: $44,468
  • Year 3: $53,829
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,863
  • Year 2: $48,682
  • Year 3: $53,438

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