U.S. median for this major: $77,992.
College Scorecard field of study; 39 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 27% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $23,250.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $70,655. College Scorecard.
Lake Forest College Finance: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Lake Forest College's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,605 | $80,577 | 1.3 years |
| $30–48k | $20,210 | $83,063 | 1.3 years |
| $48–75k | $21,481 | $88,287 | 1.4 years |
| $75–110k | $26,055 | $107,086 | 1.7 years |
| $110k+ | $35,341 | $145,252 | 2.3 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 Finance graduates 4 years after graduating ($98,583) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $62,786 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Finance at Illinois colleges
Every Illinois college we cover that reports Finance graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $119,978 | $19,500 | $14,355 | 85% |
| 2 | Illinois Wesleyan University | $101,609 | $26,000 | $28,199 | 75% |
| 3 | Lake Forest College | $98,583 | $27,000 | $28,673 | 78% |
| 4 | DePaul University | $93,719 | $23,000 | $30,902 | 68% |
| 5 | Loyola University Chicago | $89,001 | $24,988 | $36,079 | 73% |
| 6 | Northern Illinois University | $86,511 | $19,500 | $13,391 | 49% |
| 7 | Illinois State University | $85,326 | $20,500 | $19,398 | 65% |
| 8 | Benedictine University | $83,914 | $25,500 | $22,313 | 50% |
| 9 | University of Illinois Chicago | $83,218 | $17,625 | $10,974 | 62% |
| 10 | North Central College | $81,562 | $27,000 | $21,044 | 64% |
| 11 | Bradley University | $77,976 | $20,905 | $22,719 | 76% |
| 12 | Aurora University | $77,436 | $24,499 | $18,838 | 60% |
| 13 | Elmhurst University | $76,433 | $18,250 | $24,185 | 70% |
| 14 | Saint Xavier University | $75,180 | $23,326 | $10,970 | 57% |
| 15 | Illinois College | $74,757 | $27,000 | $18,298 | 64% |
| 16 | Lewis University | $71,831 | $25,688 | $17,028 | 67% |
| 17 | Eastern Illinois University | $70,704 | $22,468 | $12,786 | 47% |
| 18 | Roosevelt University | $69,720 | $26,000 | $20,194 | 35% |
| 19 | Western Illinois University | $69,716 | $27,000 | $12,937 | 45% |
| 20 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | $67,349 | $20,447 | $13,297 | 62% |
| 21 | Northeastern Illinois University | $64,022 | $12,502 | $14,109 | 22% |
| 22 | Quincy University | $58,139 | — | $20,359 | 45% |
8 more Illinois colleges offer Finance but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Finance graduates
Financial analyst
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +7.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
General and Operations Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Financial Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +9.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at Lake Forest College, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Lake Forest College
- Acceptance rate: 57% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 78% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $61,825
- Full cost breakdown · all 34 majors · overview
Related majors at Lake Forest College
- Business$74,632
- Economics—
Lake Forest College Finance questions
How much do Lake Forest College Finance graduates earn?
Finance graduates of Lake Forest College earn a median $98,583 four years after graduating and $61,264 one year after. The U.S. median for Finance graduates across 438 colleges is $77,992.
How much debt do Lake Forest College Finance graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Finance graduates of Lake Forest College is $27,000, about 27% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $23,250.
Is Lake Forest College a good school for Finance in Illinois?
On pay, Finance graduates of Lake Forest College earn $98,583 four years out, $20,877 above the median for the same major across 22 Illinois colleges ($77,706) and $20,591 above the U.S. median ($77,992). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Lake Forest College rank for Finance in Illinois?
Of 22 Illinois colleges reporting Finance graduate earnings, Lake Forest College ranks 3rd. The highest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at $119,978.
What jobs do Finance graduates get?
A common career is financial analyst, with a median wage of $101,750 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area and $102,740 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and financial managers.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Lake Forest College Finance: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lake-forest-college/majors/finance (College Scorecard and BLS data).