Photo: Osmarsalas (Public domain)
School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college on Chicago's North Shore, in the wooded, affluent suburb of Lake Forest along Lake Michigan, with a commuter-rail connection that puts downtown Chicago within reach. The campus feel is traditionally residential and suburban, but the city is close enough to function as a real extension of student life and coursework.
Academics
The college leans on its Chicago proximity heavily in business, finance, and neuroscience, fields where internships and research partnerships with city institutions are built directly into the curriculum. Class sizes are small and research opportunities with faculty are accessible even to underclassmen, typical of a small liberal arts college.
Campus & student life
The Lake Michigan shoreline and wooded, affluent suburban setting give the campus a quiet, scenic backdrop, while the Metra rail line into Chicago means students regularly use the city for internships, culture, and social life without needing to live there. The student body is notably international and diverse for a small college of its type.
Getting in
Applications are read holistically, and the college is known for offering meaningful merit aid to strong applicants, a factor in why it draws students who could also be competitive at larger, pricier universities.
After graduation
Business, finance, and neuroscience graduates place well into Chicago-area firms, hospitals, and research institutions, aided directly by the internship pipeline the college's location supports.
Worth knowing
The train access to Chicago is a defining practical feature — students can genuinely use the city regularly without a car, which is unusual for a suburban liberal arts campus.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
lakeforest.edu ↗High school coursework
Required4 years of English · 3 or more years of mathematics (through Algebra II/trigonometry) · 3 or more years of natural science (2 with lab) · 3 or more years of social science
Recommended2 or more years of a foreign language (recommended, not required)
Your fit, with your own numbers
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