Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to East Lansing

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Downtown East Lansing (2022)Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near East Lansing

East Lansing is a college town: 60 of every 100 residents are students

Michigan State University (48,830 students on campus) is inside the city, and Lansing Community College (5,664) is 3.6 miles from the center, just over the line in Lansing. Across Michigan, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town60% of residents are studentsMichigan State UniversityLansing Community College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of East Lansing. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
55,010 students on campus
Nearest college
1.2 mi
Michigan State
Residents in college
60%
Above MI (6%)
Nearest community college
3.6 mi
Lansing · $4,100 tuition
Nearest public university
1.2 mi
Michigan State · $16,458 in-state
Students on campus in East Lansing
48,830
next to 49,355 residents

What stands out about college in East Lansing

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town60 of every 100 East Lansing residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.Two colleges within 3.6 milesMichigan State University admits 85% of applicants. Together they have 54,494 students on campus.In-state price at Michigan StateLiving in Michigan, Michigan State University charges $16,458 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $43,842. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 3.6 miles awayLansing Community College in Lansing: tuition and fees $4,100 a year for Michigan residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in East Lansing

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

60 of every 100 East Lansing residents are in college (MI: 6).

48,830students on campus at Michigan State University, next to 49,355 residents (dorm students count as residents)
12,228college students live in East Lansing households rather than dorms
21.3median age · MI 40.2
52%of residents are women · MI 50% (±1.7 points)
62%of homes rented · MI 27%
$1,171median rent · 4% above the state
East LansingEast Lansing, MI
Cost of living$1,171/mo median rentC−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIC+HealthCDC estimatesB+Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundA−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change East Lansing’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 33.5% of East Lansing residents are below the poverty line, 10.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 7 points either way). 68% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (60% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B+

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and East Lansing’s median age is 21.3 (Michigan 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of East Lansing

Two private colleges within 7.9 miles, one public college within 1.2 miles, and Lansing Community College 3.6 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miMichigan StateLansingThomas M Cooley Law SchoolEast Lansing
University or collegeCommunity college
Michigan State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 48,830 on campus · In East Lansing85%admitted$20knet price81%graduate$67kearningsLansing Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,664 on campus · 3.6 mi · Lansing$5knet price25%graduate$39kearningsTuition and fees: $4,100 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Thomas M Cooley Law SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 416 on campus · 3.9 mi · Lansing$63kearningsGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Great Lakes Christian CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 100 on campus · 7.9 mi · Lansing$16knet price36%graduate$31kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $30–48k, where East Lansing’s median household income ($45,687) falls.

Lansing Community College3.6 mi · Lansing · sticker $13,013 · tuition $4,100$4,202a year
Michigan State UniversityIn East Lansing · sticker $32,198$10,830a year
Great Lakes Christian College7.9 mi · Lansing · sticker $30,311$16,854a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of East Lansing: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Michigan StateLansingGreat Lakes Christian College
Michigan State University81% graduate$67k earnings$23k typical debt
Lansing Community College25% graduate$39k earnings$13k typical debt
Great Lakes Christian College36% graduate$31k earnings$19k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in East Lansing

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Michigan State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Business 15%Biology 13%Communication 11%Engineering 8%Social sciences 8%Computer science 6%Everything else 39%

Biggest programs

Biology, General516 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
Psychology, General496 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations448 graduates a year
$91k4 yrs out
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication444 graduates a year
$69k4 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General372 graduates a year
$117k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services350 graduates a year
$102k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies348 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness298 graduates a year
$67k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in East Lansing

Is East Lansing a college town?

Yes. 60 of every 100 East Lansing residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Michigan. Michigan State University has 48,830 students on campus, next to 49,355 residents.

What colleges are in East Lansing?

Michigan State University is inside the city. Lansing Community College is 3.6 miles from the center, in Lansing.

Why is East Lansing’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 33.5% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 10.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 7 points).

What is the closest community college to East Lansing, and what does it cost?

Lansing Community College in Lansing, 3.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,100 a year for Michigan residents; the federal net price, $5,437, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Michigan State University?

Michigan State University admitted 85% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,180–1,360 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of East Lansing. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →