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University or college · Private nonprofit

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College is a private nonprofit college in Lake Forest, IL, with about 1,818 students on campus.

Visit www.lakeforest.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,818
1,796 undergrad · 22 grad
Admission rate
57%
lower than at 79% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$28,673
higher than at 81% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
78%
higher than at 87% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$61,825
higher than at 86% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Lake Forest College

Rent in Lake Forest is above the state median

Median rent in Lake Forest is $1,815 a month, 42% above the state median. Living in Lake Forest ↓

A large share of international students

20% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.. The students ↓

What you study here makes a big difference to pay

Among Lake Forest College’s biggest bachelor’s programs, finance and financial management services graduates earn a median $98,583 four years out. Biology graduates earn $48,287. Majors ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · Who goes there

The students

1,813 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 47%Hispanic 18%Black 3%Asian 6%Two or more 4%International 20%

Women and men

Women 57%Men 43%
13 : 1
students per teacher
32%
get Pell grants (lower income)
67%
take federal loans
3%
undergrads 25 or older
1%
study part time
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Lake Forest College?

57%

of applicants admitted

About 11 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
600–713
SAT math
590–680
ACT
28–32

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1343.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $70,655 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $56,402Room & board $12,700Books & supplies $1,350

After grants, the average family on aid pays $28,673.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$21,481

About $85,924 over 4 years · 70% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
78%
within 6 years · Pell students 76%
Come back for year two
90%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$61,825
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$26,158
about $277 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

6.5%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$277 a month against about $4,277 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

77%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 93% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$61k
Middle income$30–75k
$61k
Higher incomeover $75k
$63k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 24%Social sciences 15%Biology 14%Psychology 11%Computer science 7%Communication 5%Everything else 24%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Research and Experimental Psychology60 graduates a year · typical debt $26,250
—not reported
Business/Commerce, General47 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$75k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management Services31 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$99k4 yrs out
Neurobiology and Neurosciences30 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$36k1 yr out
Biology, General26 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$48k4 yrs out
Economics24 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$59k1 yr out
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics23 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$53k4 yrs out
Data Analytics21 graduates a year
—not reported
The town around it

Living in Lake Forest

11% of Lake Forest’s 19,731 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Lake Forest pages.

Lake Forest →
Lake ForestLake Forest, IL
$1,815/momedian rent · 42% above the state$1.26Mtypical home valueA−Safety Grade17° / 82°January low / July high · 34" of snowA+Health GradeAll colleges in and near Lake ForestCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Lake Forest College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and ScienceUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · North Chicago
3.9 mi1,911 students
Trinity International University-IllinoisUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Bannockburn
4.5 mi520 students
University of Saint Mary of the LakeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Mundelein
9.1 mi173 students
College of Lake CountyCommunity college · Public · Grayslake
11.9 mi9,144 students
Oakton CollegeCommunity college · Public · Des Plaines
13.3 mi5,024 students
Garrett-Evangelical Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Evanston
15.5 mi236 students
Northwestern UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Evanston
15.7 mi22,245 students
Hebrew Theological CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Skokie
16.9 mi190 students

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Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.