Lake Forest College vs. VCM

Should I go to Lake Forest College or VanderCook College of Music? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Lake Forest College or VCM is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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Lake Forest College vs. VanderCook College of Music comparison
Lake Forest College VanderCook College of Music College 3 College 4
Lake Forest College
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Overview

Lake Forest College VCM
Location Lake Forest, IL Chicago, IL
Setting Large Suburban Large City
Enrollment 1,753 263
Type Private 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #267
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website lakeforest.edu vandercook.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Lake Forest College VCM
Tuition (In State) $52,000 $27,670
Tuition (Out of State) $52,000 $27,670
Room & Board $11,898 $7,500
Avg Net Price $27,839 $12,436
Avg Grant Aid $37,907 $27,884
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 100%

Admission

Lake Forest College VCM
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 4,665 22
Admitted 2,786 22
Acceptance Rate 59.7% 100%
Enrolled % 16% 50%
Avg High School GPA 3.62 3.1
Typical High School Grades B+ B
Admissions Standards Difficult Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 26/31 15/20
SAT Range 1153/1340 890/1160
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Feb 15, 2024 Apr 1, 2024

Academics

Lake Forest College VCM
Student to Faculty Ratio 12:1 4:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (27%)
  • Business (9%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • English and Literature (8%)
  • Foreign Languages (8%)
  • Education (100%)

Outcomes

Lake Forest College VCM
Graduation Rate 68% 45%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $53,800 N/A
Making Student Loan Payments 78% 66%
Median Student Loan Debt $27,000 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $279 $279

Diversity

Lake Forest College VCM
% Men 41% 43%
% Women 59% 57%
Racial Diversity High Medium
HBCU No No
% White 58% 62%
% Black 7% 8%
% Hispanic 17% 21%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 4%
% International 8% 2%
% Unknown Race 3% 2%

Students

Lake Forest College VCM
% In-State 48% 58%
% Out-of-State 52% 42%

Campus

Lake Forest College VCM
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Lake Forest College is larger than than VCM based on total student enrollment (1,753 students vs. 263 students)

Lake Forest College vs. VCM Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Lake Forest College or VCM?

  • Lake Forest College is 87.9% more expensive to attend than VCM for in-state tuition ($52,000.00 vs. $27,670.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 87.9% higher at Lake Forest College than VanderCook College of Music ($52,000.00 vs. $27,670.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at VanderCook College of Music than Lake Forest College ($12,436 vs. $27,839)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at VanderCook College of Music are 58.6% lower than costs at Lake Forest College ($7,500 vs. $11,898)
  • The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Lake Forest College as VanderCook College of Music (100% vs. 100%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Lake Forest College students is 35.9% larger than aid received VanderCook College of Music ($37,907 vs. $27,884)

Lake Forest College vs. VCM Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Lake Forest College or VCM? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between VCM or Lake Forest College .

  • Accepted freshman Lake Forest College students have a 0.52 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at VCM (3.1)
  • VCM has a higher acceptance rate (100%) than Lake Forest College (59.7%)

Lake Forest College vs. VCM Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Lake Forest College or VCM? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between VCM and Lake Forest College.

  • The graduation rate at Lake Forest College is higher than VanderCook College of Music (68% vs. 45%)
  • VanderCook College of Music and Lake Forest College graduates both have the same median student loan debt upon graduation ($27,000 vs. $27,000)
  • VanderCook College of Music and Lake Forest College graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation ($279 vs. $279)
  • More Lake Forest College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former VCM students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 66%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/