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Is Lake Forest College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Lake Forest, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Workable
Lake Forest lands in the workable band for a typical family. Median debt of $26,250 can be carried by median long-run earnings of $70,470, but the margin is not huge. For context, Lake Forest's net price runs about 31% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This is the kind of school where your actual aid offer can move the answer meaningfully.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$29,894
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $7,057 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $28,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price sits in a range that leaves more room for family cash flow and lower borrowing.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data is workable, but not so strong that it erases financing risk.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$24,987
Median earnings 10 years out
$70,470
Median debt at graduation
$26,250
Graduation rate
75%
At Lake Forest, a typical graduate carries about $26,250 in student debt and earns roughly $70,470 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $298 per month, or 5% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $39,677 more than the typical working high school graduate in Illinois ($30,793) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
84% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in Illinois ($30,793).
Biology, General
Bachelor's degree · 23 working graduates counted
$48,287
$17,494 above the benchmark
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Bachelor's degree · 26 working graduates counted
$52,598
$21,805 above the benchmark
Social Sciences, Other
Bachelor's degree · 35 working graduates counted
$53,438
$22,645 above the benchmark
Psychology, General
Bachelor's degree · 29 working graduates counted
$54,270
$23,477 above the benchmark
English Language and Literature, General
Bachelor's degree · 32 working graduates counted
$58,901
$28,108 above the benchmark
Political Science and Government
Bachelor's degree · 21 working graduates counted
$61,770
$30,977 above the benchmark
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor's degree · 44 working graduates counted
$64,580
$33,787 above the benchmark
Business/Commerce, General
Bachelor's degree · 68 working graduates counted
$74,632
$43,839 above the benchmark
Computer Science
Bachelor's degree · 17 working graduates counted
$77,554
$46,761 above the benchmark
Finance and Financial Management Services
Bachelor's degree · 39 working graduates counted
$98,583
$67,790 above the benchmark
24 other undergraduate programs here have no four-year earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were counted to publish one. That says nothing about how those programs do. See every program on College Scorecard
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Lake Forest College and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Lake Forest is a private nonprofit four year school in Lake Forest, IL. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Blackburn
Carlinville, IL
Worth-It Score: 44/100
Median net price: $25,577
Private nonprofit 4-year
Wheaton
Wheaton, IL
Worth-It Score: 74/100
Median net price: $26,059
Private nonprofit 4-year
Elmhurst
Elmhurst, IL
Worth-It Score: 69/100
Median net price: $23,165
Private nonprofit 4-year
DePaul
Chicago, IL
Worth-It Score: 70/100
Median net price: $27,308
Private nonprofit 4-year
North Central
Naperville, IL
Worth-It Score: 66/100
Median net price: $22,836
Common questions about Lake Forest
The median net price at Lake Forest is $24,987 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Illinois? See the most affordable private colleges in Illinois →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Lake Forest in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$24,987a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →