Admissions

The 385 students who make up the Class of 2012 come from the largest applicant pool in the College's history - more than 2,500 - and represent 34 states and 26 countries. The College is committed to enrolling a national and international student body that will deepen and broaden all students’ experiences. Academically, the incoming class is one of the strongest in its history with an average grade point average of 3.51. Over half of the students will arrive having taken Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses.  The Admissions Office continues to stress the breadth of student’s academic potential and experiences in admitting students.  The Class of 2012 continues a 150-year tradition of bringing the best and brightest to Lake Forest College.

“Lake Forest College experienced a wonderful increase in applications for the fall class of 2008. The College presents a diversity in its student body that is unrivaled by most liberal arts colleges,” says Director of Admissions for Enrollment David Bennett ‘94. “Students continue to state the College’s clear academic strengths, intimate setting, and proximity to Chicago, are fundamental in their decision making to apply and attend.

“Many students are making the choice to put themselves close to post-graduate opportunities in the Chicago-area, and the College’s strong internship and mentoring programs are resonating with them,” Bennett added.

The incoming class will make an immediate impact on the campus, and they have the experience to prove they are capable of affecting change. Among the most noteworthy of their achievements: 

• Winner of two industry awards for the invention of a board game
• Chief Petty Officer in the NJROTC
• Wrote an Illinois disability bill that was passed and named after the student, “Ally’s Law”
• Special Olympics coach
• Writer for the Web site Tokoni.com
• Counselor at a circus camp
• Interned at a county prosecutor’s office
• National championship winner in Irish dance
• Multiple class valedictorians

Geographically, the incoming class comes from around the country and around the world. Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut , and Missouri are the most highly represented states in the class. And, students hail from 26 countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Estonia, Germany, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Poland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Also of note, the College will be welcoming a particularly large number of students from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), as part of the College’s CPS Scholars program which has awarded 20 full-tuition scholarships. This is part of the Lake Forest’s ongoing commitment to the academic, cultural, and intellectual interchange between the College and Chicago, 30 miles to the south.

Lake Forest College has a total of 1,400 students representing 45 states and 65 countries.