Private nonprofit · College

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois · Large suburb

#5 graduation rate in Illinois
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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,813 undergradsLarge suburbSelective · 57% admitNCAA Division III with football · Midwest ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

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

Selectivity56.8%

More selective than 79% · #13 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1343

Higher than 84%

Graduation rate78%

Higher than 87% · #5 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention90%

Higher than 86%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$61,825

Higher than 71% · #24 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$28,673

Cheaper than 19% · #51 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$26,158

Lower than 21%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,813

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

1,836students
  • Undergraduate1,81399%
  • Graduate231%

Undergraduates by gender

1,813undergrads
  • 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)

All students
70%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
71%

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)

Football111
Lacrosse77
Soccer59
Ice Hockey57
Track and Field (Outdoor)50
Track and Field (Indoor)45
Swimming and Diving (combined)38
Basketball35
Cross Country26
Softball24
Golf23
Tennis19
Volleyball15

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.

4.3reported offenses a year
4.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Fondling
2.0

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.

< $30k
$19,605
$30–48k
$20,210
$48–75k
$21,481
$75–110k
$26,055
$110k+
$35,341

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.

Est. total to a degree
$89,242

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,264
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$59,480
Men
$70,570

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waukegan, IL US station (7.4 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Lake Forest College

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.