More selective than 77% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $70,655. College Scorecard.
Higher than 92% of Illinois colleges we cover and 88% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 62% of Illinois colleges we cover and 73% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Lake Forest College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 4,811 applicants, Lake Forest College admitted 2,858 and 425 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1190–1393 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Lake Forest College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Lake Forest College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Lake Forest College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,605 | $80,577 | 3.1 years |
| $30–48k | $20,210 | $83,063 | 3.2 years |
| $48–75k | $21,481 | $88,287 | 3.4 years |
| $75–110k | $26,055 | $107,086 | 4.1 years |
| $110k+ | $35,341 | $145,252 | 5.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (64% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($61,825) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $26,028 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Lake Forest College majors, earnings & careers
Lake Forest College offers 34 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at Lake Forest College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | $98,583 | $27,000 |
| Computer Science | $77,554 | $27,000 |
| Business | $74,632 | $27,000 |
| Communications | $64,580 | $27,000 |
| Political Science | $61,770 | $27,000 |
| English | $58,901 | $23,250 |
| Psychology | $54,270 | $27,000 |
| Social Sciences, Other | $53,438 | $26,500 |
Quick list of all 34 majors
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$48,287
- Business$74,632
- Chemistry—
- Communications$64,580
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$77,554
- Data Analytics—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English$58,901
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$98,583
- History—
- International Relations—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$61,770
- Psychology$54,270
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Sciences, Other$53,438
- Sociology and Anthropology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$52,598
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,011. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 39 inches of rain a year, 34 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Lake County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Lake County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Lake Forest College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Forest College | 57% | $28,673 | 78% | $61,825 | This school |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | 55% | $18,425 | 75% | $82,592 | |
| Augustana College | 63% | $22,736 | 73% | $62,971 | |
| Olivet Nazarene University | 56% | $20,729 | 61% | $53,213 | |
| University of St Francis | 65% | $13,006 | 67% | $63,926 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Lake Forest College would cost you $10,248 more per year than Illinois Institute of Technology, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Lake Forest College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$4,016).
- Illinois Institute of Technology gives aided families $7,757 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Lake Forest College | Illinois Institute of Technology | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $56,402 | $52,386 | +$4,016 |
| Books & supplies | $1,350 | $1,200 | +$150 |
| Housing & meals | $12,480 | $16,528 | −$4,048 |
| Personal & travel | $3,318 | $3,500 | −$182 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,895 | −$5,450 | +$2,555 |
| Sticker price | $70,655 | $68,164 | +$2,491 |
| Average grants | −$41,982 | −$49,739 | +$7,757 |
| You pay | $28,673 | $18,425 | +$10,248 |
“+” means Lake Forest College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Lake Forest College
What is the Lake Forest College acceptance rate?
Lake Forest College accepts 57% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,858 of 4,811 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1190–1393 on the SAT or 28–32 on the ACT.
How much does Lake Forest College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $70,655 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,673 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $19,605 and families earning $110k+ pay $35,341.
How much do Lake Forest College graduates earn?
Former Lake Forest College students earn a median $61,825 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Lake Forest College graduation rate?
78% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 90% return for their second year.
How long does a Lake Forest College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Lake Forest College costs about $88,287 after grants ($21,481 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,825 ten years after starting, $26,028 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 3.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Lake Forest College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lake-forest-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).