Lake Forest College vs Carthage College

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, Lake Forest College and Carthage College stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. While both institutions share a commitment to providing a transformative educational experience, they differ in several key aspects. Lake Forest College boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process, while Carthage College offers a more open admissions policy. In terms of academic offerings, Lake Forest College excels in the liberal arts and sciences, while Carthage College is renowned for its strong programs in the natural sciences, business, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Carthage College	Lake Forest College
Overview
Location	Kenosha, Wisconsin	Lake Forest, Illinois
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.7%	64.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35	$50
SAT range	980 - 1200	1130 - 1345
ACT range	20 - 27	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	20.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	8,639	4,358
Total number of admissions given out	6,539	2,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll	763	417
Yield rate	11.7%	14.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,000	$66,400
Average net price	$26,643	$25,126
Tuition	$33,000	$50,100
Room & board	$12,400	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $18,544	100.0% Average amount $38,182
Students receiving federal student loan	71.0% Average amount $5,205	43.0% Average amount $5,895
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $15,990	4.0% Average amount $15,800

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,635 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Graduate students	111 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	45.4%
International students	1.4%	15.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,817	1,236
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	73.0%
Dropout rate	32.0%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	22.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,296 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $65,252 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,636 Year 2: $52,524 Year 3: $60,729 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,987 Year 2: $49,615 Year 3: $58,626 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,342 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $57,509 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,583 Year 2: $46,357 Year 3: $54,282 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,792 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $53,964 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,906 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $46,473 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,624 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $45,143 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,848 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $43,954 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,255 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $41,675	Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,498 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $58,948 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,662 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $50,604 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,515 Year 2: $40,647 Year 3: $46,215 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,630 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $42,995 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,945 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,497 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,373 Year 2: $23,807 Year 3: $32,580 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,153 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,832 Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,544 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,197 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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