Lake Forest College is a private, nonprofit school in a suburban setting in Lake Forest, Illinois. Lake Forest College was founded in 1857 and the school enrolls around 1,690 students a year, which includes 1,661 undergraduate students. Lake Forest College ensures on-campus housing for up to 1,286 students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing. On the weekends, about 85% of students stay on-campus and participate in campus events and social life.
📆 Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to Lake Forest College for Fall 2023 is February 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should hear from Lake Forest College by November 1.
Student Involvement at Lake Forest College
Love music or performing? Sing in a chorus or perform with one of Lake Forest College's theater groups.
Are you interested in journalism and communications? Lake Forest College students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.
Interested in Greek life? Lake Forest College has both fraternities and sororities.
Planning to play sports? Lake Forest College has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Lake Forest College on the Student Life page.
2022 Lake Forest College Facts At-A-Glance | |
---|---|
Academic Calendar | Semester |
Overall Acceptance Rate | 64% |
Early Decision Acceptance Rate | 39% |
Early Action Acceptance Rate | 72% |
Average GPA | 3.6 |
Applicants Submitting ACT scores | 72% |
Applicants Submitting SAT scores | 26% |
Tuition | $52,000 |
Percent of Need Met | 89% |
Average First-Year Financial Aid Package | $48,655 |
There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Some factors that can help you determine what a good school for you might be include admissions criteria, acceptance rate, tuition costs, and more.
Let's take a look at these areas to get a better sense of what Lake Forest College offers and if it could be the right college for you.
It is moderately difficult to get into Lake Forest College. The acceptance rate at Lake Forest College is 64%. Last year, 4,358 students applied to Lake Forest College and 2,808 were admitted.
Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It is a way to measure how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.
Approximately 87% of first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Lake Forest Collegeare still enrolled the next year. Lake Forest College's six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 73%. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.
Job placement stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from Lake Forest College by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads. 63% of graduates from Lake Forest College recieve at least one full-time job offer within six months of graduating.
Recent Lake Forest College grads have an average starting salary of $49,493 a year. The average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year, though these numbers vary widely by major.
An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.
Lake Forest College's endowment was valued at $109.4 million in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million. For each full-time student, Lake Forest College spends about $11,717 a year.
Tuition is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.
Lake Forest College meets 89% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Lake Forest College full-time are awarded $48,655 a year in financial aid, on average.
In 2020, students graduated with an average of $33,512 in student loans for each student with debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.
The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022
Some financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.
Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Lake Forest College.
Based on this information, is Lake Forest College the school for you? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for another! So ask yourself: Is Lake Forest College a good school for you?
If Lake Forest College seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.
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Lake Forest College is located in the suburban setting of Lake Forest, Illinois, less than an hour from Chicago.
If you want to see Lake Forest College for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 94 to Lake Forest, or book a flight to the nearest airport, O'Hare International.
You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Lake Forest College and Lake Forest are like without leaving home.
See a full list of colleges in Illinois and save your favorites to your college list.
First-Year Applications are Due
Transfer Applications are Due
The deadline for Fall first-year applications to Lake Forest College is Feb 15.
The deadline for Fall transfer applications to Lake Forest College is Aug 1.
Check the school website for more information about deadlines for specific programs or special admissions programs
ACT Range
ACT Score
Estimated Chance
31 and Above
26 to 31
26 and Less
The median ACT score of an admitted student to Lake Forest College is 28. Students with an ACT score of 31 and above have a good chance of getting into Lake Forest College. Students with an ACT score that falls between 26 and 31 have an average chance of getting admitted, and students with an ACT score of 26 or below have a low chance of being offered admission.
Composite SAT Range
Math SAT Range
Reading SAT Range
SAT Score
Estimated Chance
1335 and Above
1140 to 1335
1140 and Less
The median SAT score for Lake Forest College students is 1240. Applicants with SAT scores of 1335 and above have a good chance of being admitted to Lake Forest College, while applicants with SAT scores between 1140 to 1335 have an average chance of admittance, and prospective students with an SAT score below 1140 have a low chance of being offered a spot at Lake Forest College.
Tuition & Fees
$65,940
In State$65,940
Out-of-StateWondering what life at Lake Forest College is like? There are approximately 1,690 students enrolled at Lake Forest College, including 1,661 undergraduate students and 29 graduate students. 99% percent of students attend school full-time, 63% percent are from IL and 37% percent of students are from other states.
99%
Full Time1%
Part Time63%
In State37%
Out-of-StateData Source: IPEDs and Peterson's Databases © 2022 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved
Total Enrollment
Campus Setting
Acceptance Rate
Tuition and Fees
In State
Out-of-State
Fall Freshmen
Application Deadline
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