Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Lake Forest College admitted 56.8% of applicants university-wide (3,043 of 5,356).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide56.8%3,0435,356
Men52.2%1,2092,317
Women60.5%1,8333,030

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 15) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 3,043 admitted students, 415 enrolled (13.6% yield).

Lake Forest College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1190–1393
ACT (mid-50%)
28–32
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.00–3.74

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Lake Forest College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $72,952/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$56,402
Fees, housing, food, books & other$16,550
Sticker cost of attendance$72,952/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

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

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Trustee Scholarship — $28,000 per year (Trustee)
  • Dean's Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Forester Scholarship — $20,000 per year (Merit)
  • Faculty Scholarship — Up to $15,000 per year (Merit)
  • Fine Arts Scholarship — Varies (Departmental)
  • Lake Forest College Grant — Varies (Need Based)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid — Varies (Need Based)
  • Presidential Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Trustee Scholarship — $28,000 per year (Trustee)
  • Dean's Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship — $25,000 per year (Merit)
  • Forester Scholarship — $20,000 per year (Merit)
  • Faculty Scholarship — Up to $15,000 per year (Merit)
  • Fine Arts Scholarship — Varies (Departmental)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid — Varies (Need Based)
  • Presidential Scholarship — Full tuition (Full Tuition)

Lake Forest College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Lake Forest First-Year Application or Common Application
  • High School Transcript
  • One Teacher or Counselor Recommendation
  • Interview (recommended)
  • Standardized Test Scores (SAT or ACT) (optional)

International applicants

  • Lake Forest First-Year Application or Common Application
  • High School Transcript
  • One Teacher or Counselor Recommendation
  • Interview (recommended)
  • Standardized Test Scores (SAT or ACT) (optional)
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Lake Forest College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 3 college-specific supplements:

  1. Why Write?1000 words · Choose from this set
  2. Why study English literature?1000 words · Optional
  3. Why Study Literature?1000 words · Choose from this set

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$61,825
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
77.8%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
89.9%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$26,158
At graduation

Lake Forest College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #75
  • WSJ: #236
  • Forbes: #390
  • Niche: #272

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (24%), Social sciences (15%), Biological & life sciences (14%).

Student–faculty ratio: 12:1 · 58% of class sections have under 20 students.

Lake Forest College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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