Lake Forest College vs Colby College

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, Lake Forest College, and Colby College, situated in the picturesque state of Maine, stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer unique experiences that cater to diverse aspirations. Lake Forest College, with its acceptance rate of 67%, welcomes a vibrant student body representing various backgrounds, while Colby College's highly selective admissions process, boasting an acceptance rate of 13%, attracts a cohort of academically driven individuals. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into the nuances that set these two esteemed institutions apart, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Colby College	Lake Forest College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Lake Forest, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	64.4%
Application fees		$50
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1130 - 1345
ACT range	32 - 34	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	4,358
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	2,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	417
Yield rate	47.4%	14.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,825	$66,400
Average net price	$17,912	$25,126
Tuition	$58,640	$50,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	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)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	100.0% Average amount $38,182
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	43.0% Average amount $5,895
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	4.0% Average amount $15,800

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Graduate students	N/A	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	45.4%
International students	9.5%	15.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,242	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	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	73.0%
Dropout rate	5.7%	4.8%
Transferred out	7.5%	22.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,540 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $83,980 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,972 Year 2: $47,118 Year 3: $55,529 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,350 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $53,638 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,883 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,156 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,423 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,612 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,971 Year 3: N/A	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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