Lake State vs Western Michigan University (WMU)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education in the picturesque landscapes of Michigan. Lake Superior State University (LSSU) and Western Michigan University (WMU) stand out as two distinct academic havens, each offering a unique educational experience. While LSSU boasts a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention, WMU captivates with its vibrant campus life and diverse academic offerings. Delve into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover the nuances that set these institutions apart, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes. Discover which university aligns with your aspirations and embark on an enriching academic journey in the heart of Michigan.

	Lake Superior State University	Western Michigan University
Overview
Location	Sault Ste Marie, Michigan	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.3%	82.8%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	950 - 1160	1000 - 1220
ACT range	18 - 27	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	2,411	18,853
Total number of admissions given out	1,767	15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll	373	2,112
Yield rate	21.1%	13.5%
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: $27,947 Out of state: $31,281
Average net price	$13,583	$19,749
Tuition	$12,912	In state: $13,334 Out of state: $16,668
Room & board	$11,516	$10,884
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,820	95.0% Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $4,800	49.0% Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $14,945	10.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,812 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%	14,587 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students	N/A	3,679 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.8%	23.8%
International students	1.2%	7.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	850	5,130
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	Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.4%	56.3%
Dropout rate	16.6%	14.6%
Transferred out	27.7%	25.6%
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	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,212 Year 2: $103,274 Year 3: $105,179 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,392 Year 2: $73,801 Year 3: $88,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $87,977 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,143 Year 2: $65,945 Year 3: $79,982 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,346 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $77,922 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,069 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $77,263 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,557 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $75,447 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,559 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,968 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,118 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $72,465 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,803 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $69,288

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