How much debt do Lake Superior State mechanical engineering graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,901, which ranks 7th lowest of 14 mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $285 a month over 10 years.

Is a mechanical engineering degree from Lake Superior State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 35%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

Lake Superior State Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Lake Superior State mechanical engineering graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 76% (16 of 21) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering
Public university
Sault Ste Marie, MI
About 14 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lake Superior State mechanical engineering graduates earn more than graduates of most mechanical engineering programs nationally, $77,229 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,901 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,730. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$77,22986th percentile of 302 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,9017th lowest of 14 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings35%Michigan median 35%, national 35%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all mechanical engineering bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Lake Superior State	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$77,229	$76,300	$70,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,901	$26,951	$24,730
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	35%	35%
Programs compared		16	302

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan mechanical engineering program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan medians.

Lake Superior StateOther Michigan programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $285 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (16 of 21) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Michigan outside metro areas are about 11% below the national average, so a $77,229 salary here buys what about $86,801 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to mechanical engineering, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Mechanical Engineers

$104,890

Median pay in Michigan. 34,630 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $76,310Top 10%: $159,840

Cost Estimators

$77,990

Median pay in Michigan. 6,960 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $46,660Top 10%: $125,520

Architectural and Engineering Managers

$166,930

Median pay in Michigan. 14,820 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 14,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $117,490Top 10%: $218,050

Aerospace Engineers

$128,960

Median pay in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $76,130Top 10%: $180,160

About Lake Superior State

Tuition and fees	$14,890 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,822 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	51%
Undergraduate students	1,325

Mechanical Engineering ranks 1st of 6 bachelor's programs at Lake Superior State by first-year earnings. The top three are Mechanical Engineering ($77,229), Nursing ($68,007), and Accounting ($47,038).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $77,229 one year after graduating. The median across mechanical engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan is $76,300.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Michigan comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the mechanical engineering program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked16 programs by pay and debt Mechanical Engineering bachelor's programs in the US, ranked302 programs by pay and debt All Lake Superior State programs, ranked9 programs by pay and debt