You started with us—let us help you finish
Lake Forest College students who are behind on total course credits can catch up by taking summer courses at a heavily discounted rate.
We offer four different summer sessions, so it’s easy to fit into your summer schedule. For the summer calendar and a list of courses offered this coming summer, click here. Forester Finish is not available to transfer students.
Students with fewer than 16 course credits*
are automatically eligible to receive $2600 grants to get you caught up. These grants reduce the cost of each summer course to $700.
Students with more than 16 course credits*
may apply for a customized Forester Finish Plan (FFP) that will serve as a roadmap for the completion of the degree. This plan will include a combination of summer courses and, if necessary, coordination of transfer opportunities from other institutions.
To apply for an FFP, contact Dawn Abt-Perkins, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Student Success and head of the Center for Academic Success. The eligibility screening process begins with a one-on-one discussion with the Dean Abt-Perkins.
The Forester Finish Plan includes a $2600 grant per approved summer course, bringing the per course cost down to $700. For students who need a course not appearing in the Lake Forest College summer schedule, the FFP will seek to match students with a special independent study summer course opportunity and a grant of $2450, for a per course cost of $850.
Recipients will be notified of their FFP awards within one week of completing the eligibility screening. The Forester Finish rate does not apply to non-FFP independent studies, internships, ACM summer courses, or courses offered by other colleges and universities. Forester Finish is not available to transfer students.
*To be eligible for the Forester Finish Summer Discount, a student must meet both of these requirements:
- Students must meet the Federal (IPEDS) definition of a first-time student at Lake Forest College: A student attending college for the first time at the undergraduate level, who has no prior post-secondary experience except as follows: college attendance in the summer prior to fall enrollment at this institution or college credits earned before graduation from high school.
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The student must be lagging the standard progression toward graduation. They must
a) Have fewer credits than the number of fall and spring semesters attended at Lake Forest College times four. This includes credits earned before matriculation, such as AP credits.
b) Be behind by at least ½ credit.
Reasons of why a student might be behind schedule: withdrawing from a course, failing a course, or taking fewer than four courses in a semester. Semesters on leave do not count.
For example, a first-time student who matriculated in fall 2018 and who attends the College full time through spring semester 2020 will be on schedule to graduate if they have earned at least 16 credits (4 semesters x 4 credits per semester). If instead that student took a leave for spring 2020, they would be considered on schedule with 12 or more credits (3 semesters x 4 credits per semester).
Forester Finish cannot be used for
- Retaking a previously passed course for a higher grade.
- ES 350.
- Non-Forester Finish independent studies, internships, ACM summer courses, or courses offered by other colleges and universities.