Oberlin College vs Lake Forest College

Oberlin College and Lake Forest College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Oberlin, located in Ohio, boasts a lower acceptance rate (32%) compared to Lake Forest's (54%), indicating a more selective admissions process. While Oberlin's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 13% of the population, Lake Forest's student body is predominantly domestic. Both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors including social sciences, biological sciences, and arts at Oberlin, and business, social sciences, and biological sciences at Lake Forest. Oberlin's higher graduation rate (88%) suggests a strong commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two excellent institutions.

	Lake Forest College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Lake Forest, Illinois	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
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%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.4%	34.3%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1130 - 1345	1338 - 1460
ACT range	26 - 31	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	4,358	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	2,808	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	417	864
Yield rate	14.9%	23.7%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,400	$73,914
Average net price	$25,126	$44,689
Tuition	$50,100	$59,384
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,540 Meal plan: $5,958	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
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 $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $5,895	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $15,800	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,661 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	29 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	45.4%	N/A
International students	15.7%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,236	2,694
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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.0%	82.3%
Dropout rate	4.8%	17.3%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

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