Lake Erie College

What Lake Erie College does

Lake Erie College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college located in Painesville, Ohio, operating under a Board of Directors governance structure with Jennifer N. Schuller as President since 2023. The institution traces its origins to 1845 as the Willoughby Female Seminary, becoming Lake Erie College via state charter in 1908 and transitioning to co-educational status in 1985 following its merger with Garfield Senior College. It serves prospective undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree students primarily from Ohio (with regional scholarship programs targeting Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, and Cuyahoga counties), supplemented by an international student cohort and working educators.

The college's core academic offerings span baccalaureate degrees across business, education, sciences, humanities, and specialized programs (Physician Assistant accredited by ARC-PA, and Equine Studies certified by the British Horse Society), alongside graduate degrees (M.Ed., MBA, MPS) and professional certificates for educators. Instructional delivery occurs at the Painesville campus and via Lake Erie Online (LEO), the institution's learning management system and student portal that handles course access, registration, and financial aid workflows. The institution also operates College Credit Plus for high school students, the BloomBoard-powered Professional Teacher Pathway for working paraeducators, and a co-located off-campus housing option (The Tower Apartments) managed by Renew Partners.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees (undergraduate full-time at $18,900 per semester; graduate programs at $550-$750 per credit hour; Physician Assistant at $14,880 per semester), supplemented by housing and dining charges ($2,970-$4,700 and $1,545-$3,810 per semester respectively), equine board fees, and a development program encompassing annual giving, endowed scholarships, and the Tower Society major-gifts track. The college maintains multiple accreditations (Higher Learning Commission since 1913, ARC-PA, CAEP, British Horse Society) and pursues regional partnerships (West Liberty University, Auburn Career Center, Perry Local Schools) to expand its pipeline and credential pathways.

Name

Lake Erie College

Legal name

Lake Erie College

Website

https://lec.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1856

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Lake Erie College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio, delivering undergraduate and graduate degrees on-campus and through Lake Erie Online, with specialized programs in Physician Assistant studies and Equine Studies, serving Ohio residents, international students, and working educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Painesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from tuition charged to undergraduate and graduate students. Full-time undergraduate tuition is $18,900 per semester ($37,800 annually) with additional general fees of $1,000 per semester. Graduate programs range from $550 to $750 per credit hour depending on program. The Physician Assistant program charges $14,880 per semester.
2. Housing and Dining: On-campus housing and meal plans generate additional revenue. Residence halls range from $2,970 to $4,700 per semester depending on room type. Meal plans range from $1,545 to $3,810 per semester.
3. Donations and Fundraising: The college receives charitable contributions through annual giving, endowed scholarships, planned gifts, and capital campaigns. The President's Club recognizes donors contributing $1,000 or more annually. The Tower Society recognizes lifetime contributions of $1 million or more.
4. Equine Studies Fees: Specialized equestrian program fees including student horse board ranging from $1,961 to $2,449 per semester for specialized care services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lake Erie College is a private liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate degree programs across business, education, sciences, arts, humanities, and specialized fields such as Physician Assistant and Equine Studies. Instruction is delivered on its Painesville, Ohio campus and through Lake Erie Online (LEO), its distance-learning platform. The college also provides professional development certificates and endorsements for working educators, plus pre-college College Credit Plus coursework for high school students.

Product overview

Lake Erie College is a private liberal arts college offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services centered on its core academic degree programs. The institution delivers undergraduate and graduate degrees through on-campus instruction and Lake Erie Online (LEO), its integrated learning management and student portal platform. Beyond traditional degree programs, the college provides professional development certificates for educators (Athletic Administration, Computer Science, MMIS, Reading, TESOL), specialized programs in Equine Studies and Physician Assistant studies, merit and need-based financial aid services, and pre-college offerings through College Credit Plus. The Tower Honors Program serves as an elite pathway for high-achieving students. The institution operates across Painesville, Ohio with regional scholarship programs targeting specific Ohio counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lake Erie Online (LEO): The college's online learning platform for distance education students.
• Storm

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• $425,000 Choose Ohio First grant awarded to support STEM education
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auburn Career CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Partnership with Perry Local Schools and Auburn Career Center to expand welding opportunities at Perry High School. This workforce development initiative provides students with career and technical education pathways in partnership with higher education.
• Perry Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Partnership with Auburn Career Center and Lake Erie College to expand welding opportunities at Perry High School, creating pathways from high school CTE to college credentials in skilled trades.
• West Liberty UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2025Accelerated pathway partnership allowing Lake Erie College students to seamlessly transfer into West Liberty University's Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program. The partnership provides an efficient route for educators to achieve doctoral-level credentials through coordinated curriculum and transfer agreements.
• BloomBoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBloomBoard powers Lake Erie College's Professional Teacher Pathway, enabling paraeducators to earn bachelor's degrees while working as instructional assistants or long-term substitute teachers. The platform provides on-the-job, cohort-based distance learning combining coursework with classroom practice.
• National Student ClearinghousecoreTechnology or IntegrationLake Erie College has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse to process official transcript requests, enrollment verifications, and degree verifications. This enables students to order transcripts and verify credentials through a standardized national system.
• Notre Dame CollegeminorOthersLake Erie College serves as the institution of record for Notre Dame College transcripts following Notre Dame College's closure after spring 2024 semester. Official transcripts are available through the National Student Clearinghouse.
• Renew Partners (The Tower Apartments)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Tower Apartments are managed by Renew Partners through a unique partnership with Lake Erie College. Upperclass students can fulfill residency requirements through this off-campus apartment-style housing option at 30 S Park Place, Painesville.
• Northeast Ohio Higher Education ConsortiumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCross-registration agreements allow full-time students at participating institutions to take one course per semester at Lake Erie College with tuition and fees waived per inter-institutional agreements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wittenberg University: Private liberal arts university in Springfield, Ohio with comparable enrollment size, NCAA Division II athletics, and similar undergraduate/graduate program mix — the closest structural peer to Lake Erie College in the Ohio private liberal arts cohort.
• Baldwin Wallace University: Private liberal arts university in Bereia, Ohio — a slightly larger but structurally comparable private liberal arts institution with NCAA Division III athletics, similar undergraduate/graduate program breadth, and overlapping NE Ohio recruitment geography.
• Muskingum University: Private liberal arts university in New Concord, Ohio of similar enrollment scale, with comparable NCAA Division III athletics and traditional liberal arts plus professional program structure.
• Malone University: Private Christian liberal arts university in Canton, Ohio of similar size — comparable in mission mix (faith-informed liberal arts), NCAA Division II athletics, and reliance on tuition plus fundraising in the same Ohio geography.
• Ursuline College: Private Catholic liberal arts college in Pepper Pike, Ohio — comparable historical women's-college heritage to LEC's origins, similar small size, and overlapping NE Ohio recruitment market.
• University of Mount Union: Private liberal arts university in Alliance, Ohio with similar size, NCAA Division III footprint, and a comparable mix of traditional and professional programs — operates in the same regional student market.
• Heidelberg University: Private liberal arts university in Tiffin, Ohio of similar size with NCAA Division III athletics and comparable tuition discount dependence — directly competes for the same regional Ohio student pool.
• Otterbein University: Private comprehensive university in Westerville, Ohio of similar scale with NCAA Division III athletics, comparable undergraduate/graduate mix, and overlapping central Ohio recruitment pool.
• Ohio Northern University: Private comprehensive university in Ada, Ohio — comparable size, NCAA Division III athletics, similar tuition discounting model, and direct overlap in Ohio private-college student market.

Broad incumbents

• Case Western Reserve University: Major private research university in Cleveland, Ohio — substantially larger and more research-oriented but draws from the same NE Ohio talent pool and competes with LEC for high-achieving regional students, particularly in STEM and pre-health tracks that ladder into LEC's PA program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lakeeriecollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/91456106405
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-erie-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakeeriecollege

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Erie College