Summer Classes

You can wait around all summer for something great to happen.

Or you can Make It Happen. 

Summer 2025 course registration will open on December 6, 2024.

Students walking across campus

Home for the summer but want to keep busy while working towards your degree and taking classes that will engage your mind and challenge your assumptions? Join us for a summer session in Lake Forest on North Shore.

We offer small classes with high impact. Students from all walks of life can join us and connect with top faculty in college courses and programs near Chicago that will engage, challenge, and excite.  Our summer classes are open to current and visiting university students, advanced high school students, and community members.

Make it productive. Make it immersive.

Make it a summer at Lake Forest College. 

What You Want, When You Want It 

In Summer 2025, we offer three summer sessions

  • May Term: May 13 – June 6, 2025 (4 weeks)
  • June Term: June 9 – July 3, 2025 (4 weeks)
  • July Term: July 7 - July 31, 2025 (4 weeks)

We offer remote and in-person course options so you can take the classes, gain the knowledge, and apply the education you want the way you need to. Our remote options allow you to take classes at home or on the go while still giving you access to top-tier resources.

Stay On Track

Our summer programs give current and visiting students the opportunity to stay on track for their degrees. Whether you are visiting home for the summer and want to remain engaged in a rigorous academic environment or are a current or transfer student, our summer courses are a strong option for committed learners. 

Make Connections

With small class sizes and access to our outstanding faculty, students enrolled in summer classes have the opportunity to make meaningful connections. Meeting new peers and faculty can lead to networking and collaboration. 

Unlock Your Potential

Our summer courses are rigorous, but rewarding. Students are encouraged to challenge their own ideas and engage critically with the world around them in whatever discipline they are studying. We offer a wide variety of courses to fulfill an array of interests and needs. 

We'll help you get where you want to be.

Lake Forest College’s small class sizes mean you are never just a number or a cell in a spreadsheet. Generally, classes have three hours a day set aside for synchronous work, four days a week, either in the mornings or in the afternoons, leaving time to read and study, complete homework, and make the most of your summer.

Prerequisites? Don’t worry. Most of our Summer Session classes do not have prerequisites. All courses are open to both Lake Forest College students and other visitors. Check out the 2025 complete summer academic calendar

 

Where You Want to Work: Internships

Summer internships can give you a jump-start on your career. Lake Forest College’s summer internship programs come with the support of your own career success team. 

Your Internship Specialist will put learning front and center, with well-designed assignments that will lead you further along your path toward CEO, creative writer, or chemist.

Summer internships are only open to current Lake Forest College students.

At the Right Price

Our Summer Session tuition is $3,300 per course or internship. Each Lake Forest College course is equivalent to 4.0 semester hours.

Lake Forest College students behind on credits are eligible to take a course at $700, as low as any other summer program in the Chicago region. See the Forester Finish  page for details.

Lake Forest College students and visiting college students are also eligible for a need-based financial grant.

Tuition is $3,300 per four-credit course for advanced high school students. Summer Merit Scholarships are available in award amounts up to $2,300, bringing tuition for award recipients to $1,000. 

Note: a $100 deposit is required for visiting college student and advanced high-school student course registration, with deadlines for each term.  

In addition to the cost of tuition, students living on campus have a separate charge for housing and meals (“room and board”). See our Residence Life page for details.

Requesting Accommodations

Students with disabilities who require academic accommodations must submit the request and necessary documentation. Read more about requesting accommodations here.