International Student Financial Aid and Scholarships

The College demonstrates its commitment to global diversity by providing significant financial aid to international students.

If you have dual citizenship with the U.S. and another country, please visit our New Students or Returning Students pages. Undocumented students should visit our Undocumented Students page to find out more details about applying for financial aid and scholarships.

The CSS application for the 2024-2025 academic year is available now. The 2025-2026 CSS application will be available on or about October 1.

2024-2025 Costs     2023-2024 Costs     2022-2023 Costs     2021-2022 Costs

Costs for the 2025-2026 academic year will be known later in the Fall.

Scholarships

Lake Forest College’s Office of Admissions follows need-aware admissions practices when reviewing applications of international students. International students offered admission may receive a merit-based award of up to $34,000 per year. You may receive additional funds by applying for need-based financial aid and/or a Fine Arts Scholarship.

Fine Art Scholarships

Lake Forest College offers talent-based scholarships in music, studio art, and theater. Scholarships require an application for admission, the scholarship application, and either an audition for music and theater, or portfolio review for studio art. The application deadline is February 15. Scholarships are available to both majors and non-majors.

Fine Arts Scholarship Form

Applying for Financial Aid

Priority Deadlines

  • Early Action I & Early Decision I - November 1
  • Early Action II & Early Decision II - January 15
  • Regular Decision -  February 15
  • Transfer Spring - January 1
  • Transfer Fall - August 1
Need-based Aid

To apply for need-based aid, students must complete The College Board’s International Student Financial Aid PROFILE

Our CSS Code is 1392.  

We cannot review your application to Lake Forest College until we receive a financial aid application.

The CSS Profile is available to students from nearly every country and nationality. The College Board is unable to process payments from a small number of countries, and so students from these countries may not be able to submit the CSS Profile. If this is the case for you, please email Director of International Admissions, Molly Noyed for an alternate application.

Students living in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo are not allowed to use a credit card for payment of the CSS profile. Please contact Molly Noyed for assistance.

The maximum total amount of need-based grant and scholarship funds (combined) an individual student may receive for the 2024–2025 academic year is approximately $40,000. Those who are eligible for Work-Study (part-time job on campus) may receive up to $2,500, though job placement / earnings are not guaranteed.

You can expect to receive a similar amount of financial assistance from us each year if your academic performance is consistent with the standards of the College. An annual application is not required.

Other Sources of Aid

Other sources of scholarships and grants include Peterson’sMALDEF (students from Mexico) and our Outside Scholarships page.

Loans may be available if you have a credit-worthy co-signor who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Visit our Private Loan page or contact Adriana Rodriguez for recommendations. 

Canadian students are encouraged to contact the Student Financial Assistance branch of your provincial government for possible loans.

Students from Latin America and the Caribbean should investigate the interest-free loan provided by the Leo Rowe Pan American Fund.

Work-Study (a part-time job on campus) may be offered if you show financial need and have proper visa status (F-1). In most cases the amount offered is up to $2,000 per year, though this is not guaranteed.

Confirmation of Financial Support

After you have enrolled at Lake Forest College, and before we are able to issue you an I-20 so that you may join us, you must complete the 2024-2028 Confirmation of Financial Support, which is available through this form. Please submit the linked form to begin your I-20 process.

If you are an applicant who was requested to submit a Confirmation of Financial Support by an admissions counselor as a part of your application review, you may access it here.  If you are entering in the Fall of 2025, access this version.

Contact Financial Aid

Phone and Fax

847-735-5103
finaid@lakeforest.edu

Location

Patterson Lodge, 2nd Floor
Middle Campus, Map

Hours

Monday-Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

FINANCIAL AID STAFF

Jerry Cebrzynski
Associate Vice President for Financial Aid
847-735-5104
cebrzynski@lakeforest.edu

Mark Anderson
Associate Director
847-735-5010
anderson@lakeforest.edu

Adriana Rodriguez
Associate Director for Financial Aid Operations
VA Certifying Official
847-735-5015
rodriguez@lakeforest.edu

Si necesita hablar con alguien en español en la oficina de ayuda financiera, usted puede llamar a Adriana Rodriguez.