$61,825
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Lake Forest College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Lake Forest, Illinois with 1,813 undergraduates and 23 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,673 a year (tuition and fees $56,402). It admits 57% of applicants and 78% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $61,825 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,158 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,673
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$56,402
US median $11,837
Admission rate
57%
US median 78%
Completion rate
78%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,158
About $277 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$61,825
Rank 695 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $28,673
- Tuition and fees
- $56,402
- Cost of attendance
- $70,655
- Students with a need-based grant
- 32%
- Students with federal loans
- 67%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,605
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $20,210
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $21,481
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $26,055
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $35,341
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $42,644 in 2015-16 to $56,402 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 57%
- Average SAT
- 1,343
- SAT reading, middle
- 618
- SAT math, middle
- 620
- ACT, middle
- 29
- Undergraduates
- 1,813
- Graduate students
- 23
- Part-time students
- 1.1%
- Women
- 57%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 78%
- Retention rate
- 90%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 37
- Endowment
- $123.5M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 695 of 5,094 US colleges and 27 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,673 | $15,156 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $56,402 | $13,291 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 57% | 77% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 78% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 90% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,158 | $10,297 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $51,324 | $34,234 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $61,825 | $39,544 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 77% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 79% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
37 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 60 | $26,250 | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | $27,000 | $44,283 | $74,632 | $68,407 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $27,000 | $61,264 | $98,583 | $83,343 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 26 | $27,000 | $33,380 | $48,287 | $57,214 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $27,000 | $53,529 | Withheld | $82,686 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $27,000 | $35,622 | $52,598 | $55,000 |
| Data AnalyticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | Withheld | $26,998 | Withheld | $55,012 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $25,707 | $32,982 | $58,901 | $48,590 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $27,000 | $34,317 | $61,770 | $63,293 |
| Sociology and AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,824 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $66,596 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $27,000 | $42,835 | $64,580 | $56,359 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,072 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $27,000 | $48,587 | $77,554 | $107,009 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,786 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| StatisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Lake Forest and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Lake Forest College cost?
$28,673 a year is the average net price at Lake Forest College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $56,402, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $70,655. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,605 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Lake Forest College?
57% of applicants are admitted to Lake Forest College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,343 and the middle ACT score is 29. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do Lake Forest College graduates earn?
$61,825 a year is the median pay of former Lake Forest College students who work, 10 years after they started ($51,324 after 6 years). That ranks 695 of 5,094 US colleges and 27 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's) at $61,264.
How much student debt do Lake Forest College graduates have?
$26,158 is the median federal student loan debt of Lake Forest College graduates, about $277 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 67% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Lake Forest College?
78% of first-time, full-time students at Lake Forest College finish within 6 years. 90% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Lake Forest College?
Research and Experimental Psychology (60 bachelor's graduates), Business/Commerce, General (47 bachelor's graduates), Finance and Financial Management Services (31 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 37 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.