Financial Aid for New Students

The Office of Financial Aid is committed to helping you and your family apply for and receive financial aid, both before you enroll and during your time here!  

  • Follow these steps if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and you plan to apply for need-based financial aid (grants, loans, work-study). Follow this link if you are an international student.

     

    ILLINOIS STUDENTS: Your FAFSA must be submitted by midnight on Friday, March 1 in order to be considered for IL MAP Grant funding. Applications received after March 1 will still be considered for all other funding, so be sure to  apply even if your FAFSA will be late.

     

     

    Applying for Financial Aid, Fall 2013  

    Step 1: Complete the Financial Aid Questionnaire 

    • Required of those applying under Early Action or Regular Decision

     

    Step 2: Complete a Lake Forest Scholarship Application

    • Please submit by Priority Deadlines shown on the right
    • A separate application is required only for Forester Scholarships
    • Must be received for your financial aid application to be complete
    • Please direct all scholarship questions to your admission officer.
    • Research private scholarships (from non-Lake Forest sources) as well!
    • If applying only for scholarship funds, do not complete Steps 3-4

     

    Step 3.  Complete the 2013-2014 FAFSA

    • FAFSA = Free Application for Federal Student Aid
    • En Español
    • Please submit by Priority Deadlines shown on the right
    • Our Federal School Code is 001706
    • Review the FAFSA Worksheet to help you prepare
Please Note:  the CSS Profile is not required from U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

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Important Notes:

  • Do not send your tax return to our office.  If required, we will ask you for the necessary IRS documents.
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, complete only Step 2, then see our “International Students” page for other details.

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What Happens Next… 

Once you have been admitted and submitted all applicable financial aid documents (shown above) we will prepare a statement (we call it a “Financial Aid Announcement”) showing the aid you qualify to receive. We will send your Announcement to your e-mail address, and will come from the address “(name)@lakeforest.edu.”

We may require additional information from you at some time in the process.  If so, we will also use email to let you know.  We may even send an occasional text message to alert you to an important e-mail we have sent.  They will come from the address “SMS@blackboard.com.”

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January 2013. Scholarship Scam Alert:

In recent weeks, our office has heard from several students who have received an email claiming to be from the Robert Sterling Scholarship Foundation.  The message offers a scholarship “ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars based on your nationality, academic program, level of study and GPA.”  They then ask for several pieces of information, including mailing address, cell phone, email address, age, etc.   

Here is how the scam works: they send a (false) scholarship check.  Then they contact you to say there was a mistake, and the check was larger than it was supposed to be.  They ask you to deposit the first check immediately, and have you write a check to them to cover the excess amount you received.  They will make this process sound very urgent.  It then turns out that the check you received and deposited in your account is bad and you will have lost the money that you sent to them.

As with other scams, there are several variations (some offer you a job with a paycheck right upfront).  But at least two Lake Forest student has responded, and received a “scholarship check.”

If you ever have a question about a scholarship offer that sounds “fishy” feel free to contact the Office of Financial Aid (finaid@lakeforest.edu, 847-735-5103) and we will try to help determine if it is legitimate.