More selective than 61% of Ohio colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $50,790. College Scorecard.
Higher than 36% of Ohio colleges we cover and 22% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 45% of Ohio colleges we cover and 42% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
LEC acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,193 applicants, Lake Erie College admitted 765 and 187 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
LEC tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $5,000 a year at private nonprofit colleges in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)
What LEC costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Lake Erie College took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,195 | $85,829 | 5.7 years |
| $30–48k | $19,575 | $83,194 | 5.6 years |
| $48–75k | $18,548 | $78,829 | 5.3 years |
| $75–110k | $23,205 | $98,621 | 6.6 years |
| $110k+ | $22,370 | $95,073 | 6.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (32% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($50,417) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $14,979 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
LEC majors, earnings & careers
Lake Erie College offers 30 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 8
- Science & Math · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 4
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
- Arts & Design · 2
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at LEC
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | $70,067 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $57,506 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $49,426 | — |
| Psychology | $48,687 | $28,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $41,284 | $31,000 |
Quick list of all 30 majors
- Accounting—
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services—
- Agricultural Business—
- Biology$57,506
- Business Administration$70,067
- Chemistry—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Criminal Justice$49,426
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$41,284
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance—
- History—
- Human Resources—
- Information Technology—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Legal Support Services—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$48,687
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Studio Art—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Cleveland
Overall prices in the Cleveland, OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,274. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 40 inches of rain a year, 114 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Lake County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Lake County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare LEC with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Ohio by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie College | 70% | $20,961 | 38% | $50,417 | This school |
| Lourdes University | 74% | $23,206 | 32% | $48,150 | |
| Gods Bible School and College | 75% | $9,329 | 40% | $37,722 | |
| Malone University | 76% | $20,948 | 45% | $48,909 | |
| Wittenberg University | 72% | $18,649 | 53% | $54,947 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Lake Erie College would cost you $2,245 less per year than Lourdes University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Lake Erie College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$8,134).
- Lake Erie College gives aided families $7,657 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Ohio resident | LEC | Lourdes University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $37,634 | $29,500 | +$8,134 |
| Books & supplies | $1,220 | $1,471 | −$251 |
| Housing & meals | $11,592 | $12,120 | −$528 |
| Personal & travel | $3,470 | $6,918 | −$3,448 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,126 | −$4,631 | +$1,505 |
| Sticker price | $50,790 | $45,378 | +$5,412 |
| Average grants | −$29,829 | −$22,172 | −$7,657 |
| You pay | $20,961 | $23,206 | −$2,245 |
“+” means LEC costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about LEC
What is the LEC acceptance rate?
Lake Erie College accepts 70% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 765 of 1,193 applicants were admitted.
How much does Lake Erie College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $50,790 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $20,961 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,195 and families earning $110k+ pay $22,370.
How much do LEC graduates earn?
Former Lake Erie College students earn a median $50,417 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the LEC graduation rate?
38% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 59% return for their second year.
How long does a LEC degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Lake Erie College costs about $78,829 after grants ($18,548 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $50,417 ten years after starting, $14,979 more than high school graduates in Ohio ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 5.3 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Lake Erie College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lake-erie-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).