Private nonprofitFour-year

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL · Highest award: Graduate degree

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Net price (avg)
$28,673
Academic year 2023-24
Tuition & fees
$56,402
Academic year 2024-25
Graduation rate
77.8%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Median earnings (10 yr)
$61,825
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars

Read the years, not just the numbers

Each figure below is labelled with the period it covers, because they are not all from the same year. Tuition is Academic year 2024-25, while the earnings figure describes students who entered Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars. They are historical facts about this institution, not a quote for you.

What it actually costs

Net price is what students paid after grant and scholarship aid — usually far below the sticker price.

Total cost of attendance
$70,655
Academic year 2023-24
Tuition & fees (in state)
$56,402
Academic year 2024-25
Tuition & fees (out of state)
$56,402
Academic year 2024-25
Room & board (on campus)
$12,700
Academic year 2024-25
Room & board (off campus)
$12,700
Academic year 2024-25
Books & supplies
$1,350
Academic year 2024-25

Average net price by family income

Academic year 2023-24

$0–30,00019,605
$30,001–48,00020,210
$48,001–75,00021,481
$75,001–110,00026,055
$110,001+35,341

Figures are U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard data for Academic year 2023-24, published by the U.S. federal government. They are historical reference values, not a quote, and not an offer. Your actual cost will depend on your own circumstances.

This college’s official net price calculator ↗

Outcomes

Historical results for students who attended. They do not predict your own.

Graduation rate (150% time)
77.8%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Graduation rate (200% time)
78.3%
Fall 2018 entering cohort (150%), Fall 2016 (200%)
Retention (full-time)
89.9%
Fall 2023 cohort
Median earnings (6 yr)
$51,324
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars
Median earnings (10 yr)
$61,825
Entering cohort AY2009-10 / 2010-11, measured in 2022 dollars
Loan default rate (3 yr)
0.0%
FSA FY2022 cohort
Median debt of completers
$26,158
NSLDS FY2020/21 pooled
Median debt monthly payment
$277.32
NSLDS FY2020/21 pooled
Repayment rate (3 yr)
77.2%
NSLDS FY2013/14 cohort

Compared with a high-school graduate

Students here earned a median of $61,825 ten years after entering, against a national benchmark for high-school graduates of $36,082. That benchmark is 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, 2024 dollars.

Admissions and size

Many institutions do not report these — “Not reported” is not a zero.

Admission rate
56.8%
Fall 2024
Average SAT (equivalent)
1,343
Fall 2024
ACT 25th–75th percentile
28–32
Fall 2024
Undergraduate enrollment
1,813
Fall 2024
Student-faculty ratio
13:1
Fall 2024
First-generation share
24.6%
Fall 2024
Pell grant recipients
32.2%
Academic year 2023-24
Federal loan recipients
66.5%
Academic year 2023-24
Median family income
$59,959
AY2022-23 (median family income)

Student body

Fall 2024

White47%
Hispanic18%
Black3%
Asian6%
Two or more races4%
Nonresident / international20%

Other Four-year institutions in IL

Peer institutions
InstitutionNet priceGrad rateEarnings (10 yr)
Adler UniversityNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
Ambria College of NursingNot reportedNot reported$67,290
American Islamic CollegeNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
Augustana CollegeNot reported72.9%$62,971
Aurora UniversityNot reported60.3%$58,709
Benedictine UniversityNot reported50.3%$63,446
Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation Inc.Not reportedNot reportedNot reported
Blackburn CollegeNot reported57.5%$46,802
Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health SciencesNot reportedNot reported$72,430
Bradley UniversityNot reported76.2%$66,852
Catholic Theological Union at ChicagoNot reportedNot reportedNot reported
Chamberlain University-IllinoisNot reported41.7%$92,405

Earnings by field of study

Four years after graduation, by programme. Compare each against the national median for that field.

Earnings by field of study
ProgrammeMedian earnings (4 yr)National medianMedian debt
Finance and Financial Management Services.$98,583$83,343$27,000
Computer Science.$77,554$107,009$27,000
Business/Commerce, General.$74,632$68,407$27,000
Communication and Media Studies.$64,580$56,359$27,000
Political Science and Government.$61,770$63,293$27,000
English Language and Literature, General.$58,901$48,590$23,250
Psychology, General.$54,270$50,706$27,000
Social Sciences, Other.$53,438$56,812$26,500
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.$52,598$55,000$27,000
Biology, General.$48,287$57,214$27,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.Not reported$65,716Not reported
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Not reportedNot reportedNot reported
Neurobiology and Neurosciences.Not reported$62,451$27,000
Mathematics.Not reported$69,562Not reported
Statistics.Not reportedNot reportedNot reported
Data Analytics.Not reportedNot reportedNot reported
Philosophy.Not reported$54,455Not reported
Religion/Religious Studies.Not reported$41,390Not reported
Chemistry.Not reported$65,120Not reported
Physics.Not reported$76,786Not reported

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10) — https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/ · Data last updated 2026-06-10