Macalester College vs Lake Forest College

Macalester College and Lake Forest College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Macalester, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, boasts a diverse student body with a strong international presence, while Lake Forest, nestled in Lake Forest, Illinois, prides itself on its small class sizes and personalized attention. With acceptance rates of 34% and 65%, respectively, these colleges attract students with varying academic backgrounds. Macalester's popular majors include political science, economics, and environmental studies, while Lake Forest students often pursue business, psychology, and communication. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to determine which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Lake Forest College	Macalester College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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
Students retention rate	87.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	31.3%
Application fees	$50	$40
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1340 - 1515
ACT range	26 - 31	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	9,046
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	2,828
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	601
Yield rate	14.9%	21.3%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,400	$76,357
Average net price	$25,126	$30,939
Tuition	$50,100	$60,288
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	Room/dormitory: $7,272 Meal plan: $6,270
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $38,182	87.0% Average amount $42,832
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	39.0% Average amount $4,799
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	29.0% Average amount $4,321

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	2,244 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	N/A
International students	15.7%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,236	1,332
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Mathematics and Statistics Foreign Languages and Literatures Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	89.7%
Dropout rate	4.8%	10.0%
Transferred out	22.2%	N/A
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: $47,163 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,135 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,896 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,193 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,635 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $43,620 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,253 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $39,047 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,368 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,933 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,116 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,521 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,444 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: N/A Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,129 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: N/A Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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Macalester College vs Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College

Macalester College

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Academics

Outcome

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