Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Lake Erie College

Students comparing Lake Erie College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Painesville, Ohio852 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 78Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Lake Erie College: U.S. News ranks it #142 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1388 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1459 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 852 undergraduates, admits 70.4% of applicants, and posts a 38.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $37,634; aid recipients pay $20,961 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $50,417.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
70.4%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,961

59% below the $50,670 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$50,417

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
38.0%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$26,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedLake Erie College reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Lake Erie ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#142of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1388of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1459of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Lake Erie's position moves 36 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Lake Erie

Lake Erie College is a private nonprofit institution in Painesville, Ohio. Federal data show 59.4% first-year retention and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,961 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $50,670 sticker cost against $20,961 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Lake Erie College on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$37,634

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
37.2%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$13,036

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $50,670 a year, but the average family pays $20,961 — a 59% difference. 37.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Lake Erie's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    12:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    59.4%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    852

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Lake Erie: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $37,634 and on-campus room and board is $13,036, for a published total of $50,670 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,961.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 70.4%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Midland University

    Fremont, NEPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Midland University: U.S. News ranks it #143 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1453 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1308 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,159 undergraduates, admits 66.1% of applicants, and posts a 42.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,050; aid recipients pay $26,267 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $52,163.

    Acceptance rate
    66.1%
    Average net price
    $26,267
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $52,163
    6-yr graduation rate
    42.1%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#143 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1453 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1308 of 2,605

    1,159 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 78 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Findlay

    Findlay, OHPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Findlay: U.S. News ranks it #373 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1403 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1337 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,223 undergraduates, admits 83.4% of applicants, and posts a 57.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,164; aid recipients pay $27,221 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,996.

    Acceptance rate
    83.4%
    Average net price
    $27,221
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,996
    6-yr graduation rate
    57.9%
    US News · National universities#373 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1403 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1337 of 2,605

    2,223 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 77 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Missouri Valley College

    Marshall, MOPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Missouri Valley College: U.S. News ranks it #71 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1468 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1463 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,443 undergraduates, admits 69.2% of applicants, and posts a 22.4% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $23,700; aid recipients pay $18,086 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $43,221.

    Acceptance rate
    69.2%
    Average net price
    $18,086
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $43,221
    6-yr graduation rate
    22.4%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#71 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1468 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1463 of 2,605

    1,443 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 76 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Lake Erie against these