Lake Forest College vs Roanoke College

Lake Forest College and Roanoke College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lake Forest, nestled in the affluent suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois, boasts a higher acceptance rate (69%) compared to Roanoke's selective admissions (59%). While Roanoke's student body is more diverse, with 23% international students, Lake Forest's student body is predominantly White (73%). Both colleges excel in certain academic areas: Lake Forest is known for its strong social sciences and psychology programs, while Roanoke shines in the fields of business and nursing. With similar graduation rates hovering around 75%, both institutions ensure their students are well-prepared for their post-graduate endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lake Forest College	Roanoke College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Salem, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
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
Students retention rate	87.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	80.4%
Application fees	$50	$30
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1080 - 1230
ACT range	26 - 31	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	10.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	4,953
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	3,981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	465
Yield rate	14.9%	11.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,400	$66,888
Average net price	$25,126	$27,758
Tuition	$50,100	$46,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	Room/dormitory: $6,960 Meal plan: $8,030
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,182	100.0% Average amount $35,752
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	68.0% Average amount $5,678
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	12.0% Average amount $17,112

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	1,863 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	47.6%
International students	15.7%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,236	1,540
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Arizona California Colorado Minnesota	Virginia Maryland North Carolina Pennsylvania New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Social Sciences Education History Natural Resources and Conservation Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	69.6%
Dropout rate	4.8%	6.9%
Transferred out	22.2%	23.3%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,923 Year 2: $36,938 Year 3: $48,275 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,545 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,065 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,241 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,514 Year 2: $27,476 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,889 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,147 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,496 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,311 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,873 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: N/A

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