Lake Forest College vs Cornell

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either Lake Forest College, a liberal arts institution nestled in the serene suburbs of Chicago, or Cornell University, an Ivy League powerhouse renowned for its academic rigor and groundbreaking research. While both offer exceptional educational experiences, they differ in several key aspects. Lake Forest College, with its intimate community and personalized attention, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to embark on their academic journeys. Cornell University, on the other hand, attracts a more diverse student body, representing a wider range of backgrounds and perspectives. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations and pave the way for a fulfilling and transformative college experience.

	Cornell University	Lake Forest College
Overview
Location	Ithaca, New York	Lake Forest, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.7%	64.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $105	$50
SAT range	1450 - 1560	1130 - 1345
ACT range	33 - 35	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	41.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	67,380	4,358
Total number of admissions given out	5,852	2,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,718	417
Yield rate	63.5%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,287	$66,400
Average net price	$24,262	$25,126
Tuition	$60,286	$50,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,962 Meal plan: $6,434	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	50.0% Average amount $52,674	100.0% Average amount $38,182
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,924	43.0% Average amount $5,895
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $8,357	4.0% Average amount $15,800

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,503 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Graduate students	10,079 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	64.3%	45.4%
International students	24.4%	15.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,422	1,236
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Agriculture Computer and Information Science Legal Profession	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.1%	73.0%
Dropout rate	5.2%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	22.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $185,154 Year 2: $172,867 Year 3: $207,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,786 Year 2: $145,332 Year 3: $167,695 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $127,764 Year 2: $122,485 Year 3: $158,076 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $147,241 Year 2: $127,397 Year 3: $155,653 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,311 Year 2: $111,926 Year 3: $126,082 Operations Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,067 Year 2: $109,763 Year 3: $124,590 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,459 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $109,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,672 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $109,553 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,847 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $107,658 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $106,693	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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