Lake Forest: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Lake Forest is a private institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Lake Forest admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 54%. Admitted students typically post a median SAT of 1310 and an ACT composite around 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,673 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price.

What GPA does my child need for Lake Forest?

52% of enrolled students at Lake Forest had a high school GPA of 3.75 or above, and the average was 3.74, according to its 2025-2026 Common Data Set.

What does Lake Forest weight in admissions?

Lake Forest reports these factor weights in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). What the weights mean

How Lake Forest reads an application: what each weighting means for your child, plus waitlist, transfer and early-round odds

SAT and ACT scores Lake Forest typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 590–680, with an EBRW midpoint near 618. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 28–32. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.

Where admitted students ranked in their high school class

Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort, often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.

How much does Lake Forest actually cost?

Published tuition is $56,402 for in-state students and $56,402 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,700 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $28,673 per year, and that is the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 32% of students receive Pell Grants.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Lake Forest

Will my child graduate from Lake Forest?

These predict outcomes at Lake Forest better than its acceptance rate does. How to read retention and graduation rates

Most popular majors at Lake Forest

The most popular undergraduate programs at Lake Forest, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business/Commerce, General, Research and Experimental Psychology and Biology, General. Across all programs, Lake Forest confers roughly 283 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business/Commerce, General program report a median income of about $57,360 five years after entering college. What these figures mean

Is Lake Forest safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Lake Forest disclosed 5 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 5 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Why per-1,000 rates, not counts

What is campus life like at Lake Forest?

About 70% of undergraduates at Lake Forest live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 6% of men join a fraternity and 8% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.

Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about

• Knox College
  71% acceptance
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  77% acceptance
• Bradley University
  77% acceptance
• Augustana College
  63% acceptance
• Wheaton College
  87% acceptance
• University of Chicago
  4% acceptance
• Northwestern University
  8% acceptance
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  42% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Lake Forest