Private nonprofit · College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois · Large suburb
- 56.8%
- Admit rate
- $28,673
- Avg net price
- 78%
- Graduation rate
- $61,825
- Median earnings
Lake Forest College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Lake Forest, Illinois (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,813 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Lake Forest College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 56.8%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1190–1393
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.74
Enter a test score to see where you land against Lake Forest College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Lake Forest College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The Potawatomi inhabited Lake County before the United States Federal Government forced them out in 1836 as part of Indian Removal of tribes to areas west of the Mississippi River. Commercial development in Lake Forest is focused in three areas, two of which have public railway stations. The central business district includes a Metra commuter railroad station on the Union Pacific North Line. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 28 miles to Chicago, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 19 miles to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) · major hub
How Lake Forest College compares
More selective than 79% · #13 most selective of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 84%
Higher than 87% · #5 of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 86%
Higher than 71% · #24 of 66 in Illinois
Cheaper than 19% · #51 cheapest of 57 in Illinois
Lower than 21%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 55%
Percentiles compare Lake Forest College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,81399%
- Graduate231%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,09360%
- Men72040%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black2.6%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian6.2%
- Other or multiracial26%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,813
- Graduate enrollment
- 23
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 32%
- First-generation students
- 25%
- Students over 25
- 3%
- Median family income
- $59,959
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $81,396
- Endowment
- $123,504,020
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 425 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Illinois41%
- Other U.S. states36%
- International23%
A national draw — only 41% of first-years come from Illinois; 36% arrive from other states.
23% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 56.8%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1190–1393
- SAT average
- 1343
- SAT reading
- 600–713
- SAT math
- 590–680
- ACT composite
- 28–32
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.74
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $56,402
- Room & board
- $12,700
- Books & supplies
- $1,350
- Total cost of attendance
- $70,655
- Average net price
- $28,673
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 78%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 70%
- First-year retention
- 90%
- Transferred to another college
- 16%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $51,324
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $61,825
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,158
- Students with federal loans
- 67%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 73%
About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,335
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 74%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,000
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,480
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Midwest Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 579 (354 men · 225 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 13
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,837 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$21,481/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Lake Forest College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,264. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 445 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $61,825
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,158
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 42%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 70%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $11,090 (19%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 82°F
- Winter low
- 16°F
- Annual rain
- 39.5″
- Annual snow
- 33.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waukegan, IL US station (7.4 mi from campus).
What Lake Forest College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Lake Forest College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Lake Forest College side by side →
The University of the South
Sewanee, Tennessee · Distant rural · 36 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 1,607
- Admission
- 57%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1344
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $65k
The College of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio · Distant town · 29 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,730
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1353
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $60k
St Lawrence University
Canton, New York · Remote town · 96 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 1,918
- Admission
- 54%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1371
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $67k
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee · Large city · 3 mi to Memphis
- Students
- 1,836
- Admission
- 50%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1362
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $67k
Hobart William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York · Distant town · 38 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 1,786
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Centre College
Danville, Kentucky · Distant town · 31 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 1,400
- Admission
- 54%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1352
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $66k
Colleges near Lake Forest College
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
North Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Trinity International University-Illinois
Deerfield, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 55 students
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Libertyville
Libertyville, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 162 students
Empire Beauty School-Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students
Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Wheeling, IL · Private for-profit · Associate · 183 students
State Career College
Gurnee, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 185 students
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
Mundelein, IL · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Chicago Professional Center
Prospect Heights, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 95 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












