Lake Forest College vs Middlebury College

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, Lake Forest College, and Middlebury College, a gem of the Northeast, stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and a vibrant campus life, they offer unique experiences that cater to different aspirations. Lake Forest College, with its acceptance rate of 65%, welcomes a diverse student body, while Middlebury College, with its highly selective admissions process (acceptance rate of 15%), attracts a more homogenous group. Explore the nuances that set these colleges apart, from their popular majors and student demographics to their graduation rates, in the comprehensive comparison table below. Discover which college aligns best with your academic pursuits, personal preferences, and future goals.

	Lake Forest College	Middlebury College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Middlebury, Vermont
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	13.4%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1380 - 1530
ACT range	26 - 31	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	11,906
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	1,601
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	680
Yield rate	14.9%	42.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,400	$78,820
Average net price	$25,126	$26,958
Tuition	$50,100	$59,330
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	Room/dormitory: $9,600 Meal plan: $7,450
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,182	52.0% Average amount $49,988
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	25.0% Average amount $4,384
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	10.0% Average amount $7,858

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	2,858 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	79 Men 8.9% Women 91.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	94.7%
International students	15.7%	12.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,236	2,891
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota	New York Mississippi California Connecticut Vermont

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Ethnic Studies English Language and Literature Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	91.2%
Dropout rate	4.8%	1.7%
Transferred out	22.2%	7.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,712 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $98,106 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,169 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $68,272 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,074 Year 2: $41,025 Year 3: $62,953 International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,380 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $62,186 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,883 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $61,255 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,031 Year 2: $40,485 Year 3: $60,732 Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,928 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,550 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,155 Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $50,725 Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,056 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,126 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,769 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $41,771

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