Lake Forest College vs Sweet Briar College

Lake Forest College and Sweet Briar College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Lake Forest, nestled in the vibrant Chicago suburbs, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Sweet Briar, situated in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, maintains a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community. Both colleges excel in liberal arts education, with Lake Forest emphasizing interdisciplinary studies and Sweet Briar offering a strong focus on women's leadership. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Lake Forest College	Sweet Briar College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Sweet Briar, 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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	80.0%
Application fees	$50	$40
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1020 - 1260
ACT range	26 - 31	23 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	14.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	1,192
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	954
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	177
Yield rate	14.9%	18.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$66,400	$34,330
Average net price	$25,126	$22,711
Tuition	$50,100	$22,120
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	$13,880
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,182	93.0% Average amount $17,220
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	44.0% Average amount $4,949
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	2.0% Average amount $6,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	452 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	2 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	N/A
International students	15.7%	5.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,236	561
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Business Psychology Education Engineering Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	41.7%
Dropout rate	4.8%	16.7%
Transferred out	22.2%	41.7%
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/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $44,499 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,212 Year 3: N/A

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Lake Forest College vs Sweet Briar College

Lake Forest College

Sweet Briar College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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