I’m not going to tell you whether it is “the right one” for your child. No article can tell you that, because it depends on three things only your family knows: what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. What I can do is leave this piece—the one about knowing the university deeply—completely resolved for you.
What kind of school is it?
Let’s start with the basics, because the basics organize everything else.
Lawrence Technological University is a private, nonprofit institution offering four-year or higher programs. The federal system classifies it as a master’s university with larger programs and reports the doctorate as the highest level it offers. That is an aggregate institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific program your child is interested in reaches that level. If the undergraduate-to-graduate pathway in that field matters to your plan, ask about it by program name.
In an earlier classification based on data from several years ago, it appeared as a small, highly residential school—where at least half of undergraduates lived in institution-owned housing and at least eight out of ten studied full time. The latest version of that same system places it among institutions that receive many transfer students and, separately, using degree data from a different year, identifies it as awarding research doctorates. These are snapshots taken at different times. None tells you with absolute certainty what the school offers today; for that, you need a direct conversation with admissions.
It is in Southfield, within Oakland County, in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metropolitan area. That locates the area, not the actual commute. If your child were considering living at home and commuting every day, drive the route yourself on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The time shown on the map is almost never the actual time.
And one clarification worth making directly: Lawrence Technological University is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. If that question matters to you, the answer is in its cultural centers, its current student organizations, and conversations with someone who already studies there—not in this checkbox.
The community’s actual size
Lawrence Technological University had 3,260 students enrolled in the most recent official count. It is a medium-sized school, and compared with 941 similar selective private schools, it is on the larger side: only between one and three out of ten schools in that group have more students.
But that large number is a little misleading. Of the 3,260, only 2,367 are undergraduates; the other 893 are already graduate students. If your child is entering an undergraduate program, the number that matters is 2,367, not the total.
Now for the part I want to tell you very clearly, without softening it: among undergraduates, 4 out of every 100 students were reported as Hispanic or Latino. That is a low share. Compared with 941 similar selective private schools, it falls in the bottom quarter—three out of four of those schools report a higher share. Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, nor would having many make it good by itself. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled. If your child will be one of the few, the question worth asking during the visit is what student group exists, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the admissions or support office speaks Spanish. And talk with a Latino student who is already there before deciding. The number is for the entire school; your child’s specific program may feel different.
There are also more men than women—out of every 100 students, 34 are women—and adults ages 25 to 64 are a minority, only 5 out of every 100. IPEDS does not report where new students came from in this cycle; that information simply is not available.
How the academic year works and what happens with previous credits
The year at Lawrence Technological University is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. This is standard in the United States, and it helps you plan family calendars, work, and visits.
As for credits your child is bringing from high school, the school stated that it accepts credit for AP exams. It did not check the box for credit based on life experience. It also reports accepting credit for military training and enrolling high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Here is the warning that truly matters: saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam at every score. This information does not tell us what score is required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits apply to your child’s exact program. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for savings in time or money until you have it in hand.
What people earn degrees in
In a recent year, Lawrence Technological University awarded 382 bachelor’s degrees. Engineering accounted for 173 of those 382—45 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. This is a school with a distinct academic identity: that is where most of its degree production is concentrated.
This counts degrees awarded, not people or the complete catalog of programs. It does not measure quality or the jobs obtained afterward—that is not authorized by this source. If your child wants to study something other than engineering, do not rule it out because of this: ask directly about that program, how many students earned degrees in it, how long it took them, and what the curriculum is like.
Regarding instructional staff in relation to students, the reported official ratio is 11 full-time-equivalent students for each full-time-equivalent member of the instructional staff. It is a low ratio compared with similar schools. But keep in mind that this is an institutional average. It does not tell you the actual size of first-year classes or the exact method used to calculate it.
It also reports structured academic opportunities: study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, and developmental education for credit.
How admission works
Lawrence Technological University does not have open admission. It reviews application components before saying yes, and some are required: the high school transcript, high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: completion of the university’s recommended course plan, a personal essay, and a formal demonstration of the applicant’s abilities, such as a portfolio or competency exam.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English proficiency exam is required and what qualifies for an exemption. This is the kind of thing people discover late, when there is no longer enough time to handle it comfortably. The published application fee is $30.
Now for the numbers nearly every family wants to see first:
Out of every 100 first-time applicants, 80 were offered admission. Its admission rate ranks slightly above the midpoint compared with 942 similar selective private schools. Seven or eight out of ten received a yes. That does not make admission automatic—your child has reason to apply and also reason not to leave the application until the last minute. And remember: this figure comes from a single cycle. If more applicants apply in your child’s year and the number of places does not grow, the number drops on its own. Check it again when the time comes.
Here is something that surprises many families: out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 18 enrolled. Of every six young people who received a yes, roughly one ended up attending. Do not read this as a stain on the school—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose, and this is common among similar schools. What I can tell you clearly is that what others decided does not predict what your child will be offered. Wait for the letter with the net price—that is what the year will actually cost your family—and, with that number in hand, decide whether the school stays on the list.
One fact that relieves pressure for some families: Lawrence Technological University reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in the admission decision, even if applicants submit them. This checkbox does not cover scholarships, course placement, or other uses—ask about those separately if they apply.
Regarding transfers, among the bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in 2017, 24 out of every 100 transferred without completing here and enrolled at another institution. Transferring is not failing. If your child arrives here as a transfer from another school or thinks about leaving later, request in writing which courses will count and which will not—Carnegie places it among institutions with high transfer-in enrollment, but that label does not say how many credits those students actually bring.
The listed price, in full dollars
At Lawrence Technological University, among a population of first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, the EFC records for 37 showed family income below $30,000; the average net price was $31,328. In the same population, the EFC records for 39 showed family income from $48,001 to $75,000; the average was $31,375. The EFC records for 177 showed family income above $110,000; the average was $35,303. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $3,975 between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 37, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 177. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $33,807.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this information with the same period coverage, this school falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean you should rule it out. It means you should request the financial aid letter before deciding.
An average does not show how different individual cases were within that band; this information does not support claiming that some families were far below or above the published figure. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; public institutions use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships.
Scholarships, aid, and loans: separate the piles
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Lawrence Technological University, 85 received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the average for the year was $19,095— but that average was not distributed across everyone; it counts only those who received something.
Pell, the federal aid specifically for lower-income families, reached 20 out of every 100 students. The gap between the 85% who receive some type of aid and the 20% who receive Pell may include state, institutional, or other sources of aid—this breakdown does not tell you exactly what makes up the difference. Ask directly which programs account for it.
When your financial aid letter arrives, separate it by hand into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, and that is where families get confused.
Regarding loans: 47 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan, averaging $6,803 per person that year. Financing through debt is common here. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $27,212, not counting interest—and that number is decided before the first signature, not at the end. This average covers only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include what parents borrow separately, bank or credit card debt, or the total debt carried upon graduation. That number is not in this report.
The institution also reports a tuition payment plan that allows payment in installments, in case spreading the cost across the year instead of paying it all at once helps your family.
Housing, campus life, and what exists around the classes
Lawrence Technological University has institution-owned housing with a reported capacity of 947 students. Living there is not required for all first-time, full-time students—but that does not mean no program requires it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. Before removing room and board from your budget, request this year’s rate, the application deadline, and whether housing is guaranteed or your child would go on a waiting list, all in writing.
If your child is interested in ROTC, the school reports opportunities in two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not checked. A checked box does not necessarily mean the program is taught on this campus—ask about that by name before building your child’s plan around it.
In athletics, the school competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NAIA as well as another association. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not tell you how many places are available on each team or whether athletic scholarships are available—ask the coach directly, in writing.
Regarding distance education, it is offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count, only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes at a distance. The other 99 took at least one class in person. The school also reports offering at least one complete distance-education program, but this does not confirm that one exists specifically at the undergraduate level—confirm both the level and the program with the school.
The library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceeded the $100,000 threshold tracked by the government. It has physical and digital collections and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that specific databases exist for your child’s program—ask about them by program name.
Among the services and forms of support it reports are combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a recognized student veterans’ organization, and a published webpage for disability services.
Those who stay, those who graduate, and how long it takes
Here is one of the most important conversations you can have with your child, so let’s take it slowly.
Retention: of a cohort of 418 first-time, full-time students who entered in 2022, 320 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is 77 out of every 100—slightly above the midpoint compared with similar schools. This number does not distinguish between those still enrolled here and those who graduated exceptionally quickly, nor does it tell you what happened to those who did not stay. And here is something almost no one tells you: in this number, transferring to another school and continuing to study there counts the same as leaving school altogether.
Graduation within six years: of a cohort of 358 students who entered in 2017, 223 had graduated from this school within six years. That is 62 out of every 100.
Now for the figure that truly hits the family budget: within four years, only 25 out of every 100 had graduated. There is a difference of 37 points between the four-year and six-year marks. The data do not say how many semesters each person attended and do not report tuition, rent, or wages. This information does not tell us exactly how much that extra time costs in dollars, but it does tell us that the extra time exists. Before signing anything, request in writing how long the program your child is interested in usually takes and how its required courses are scheduled to avoid unnecessarily extending the program.
Of the rest of that cohort of 358, 1 completed a shorter program here, 85 transferred without completing at Lawrence Tech, 11 remained enrolled without completing, and 38 fell into the federal “no longer enrolled” category—which does not tell you the reason and may include people who graduated after the measured period.
Within eight years, among a broader cohort that includes part-time students and students with prior experience, 56 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Here is a difference worth confronting directly: among students who received Pell grants—students from lower-income families—only 41 out of every 100 left with a credential within eight years, 20 points below the group without Pell. That does not say what will happen to your child if your child qualifies for Pell today. It says it is worth asking admissions specifically what is available for these students: an assigned counselor, emergency aid, and whether the institution’s scholarship renews each year. And have them answer in writing.
What you already know and what remains yours to decide
None of this replaces what only your child knows about what your child wants to study and how your child imagines living during those years. Nor does it replace what only your family knows about what it can and is willing to pay. Your child is responsible for the effort, curiosity, and direction of that life. You are responsible for the family’s money, the documents, the deadlines, and sitting down together to look at what you already know and what still needs to be asked. The university is responsible for admitting, denying, and offering—or not offering—the aid that makes a yes possible.
Put this piece together with the other two you still need, and a real plan will begin to emerge.
Note: the information in this article comes from data reported by Lawrence Technological University to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, along with Carnegie classifications from different years as indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Lawrence Technological University or the United States government; we recommend confirming every figure directly with the university’s admissions or financial aid office before making a decision.