Admissions
Test-Optional Admission Process
“We admit great students, not just great test-takers.”
President Stephen D. Schutt
Lake Forest College is now test-optional, permitting students to choose whether or not to have their ACT or SAT scores considered for admission.
As a highly selective college that values well-rounded students, Lake Forest will continue its practice of evaluating each student based on qualities that determine success in college:
- Strong academic performance in a challenging high-school curriculum
- Leadership experience and commitment to community
- Extracurricular involvement and individual talent
Test-Optional Guidelines:
- Domestic students have the option of having their standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) considered for admission.
- Complete the test optional form.
- International students are still required to submit their TOEFL score.
- Students applying for a Dean's, Presidential, or Trustee academic scholarship will still be required, under present plans, to submit their ACT or SAT score.
- Personal interviews are required for students choosing not to submit test scores and are highly recommended for all students.
Admission Review Process:
The admissions staff strives to recruit students who will flourish at Lake Forest College: students who are well-prepared academically, are motivated, enjoy challenges, and are committed to community and campus involvement. A candidate’s transcript, recommendations, and personal interview best illustrate these qualities. The test-optional policy is consistent with our admission philosophy and practice of focusing on the student. Our commitment to diversity is further enhanced through a test-optional approach, as standardized tests have long been scrutinized for possible cultural, ethnic, gender, and class bias.
The admissions staff reviews candidates applications according to the following, in order of importance:
- A rigorous high school curriculum in combination with a strong academic performance.
- Personal interview with an admissions officer: required for students choosing not to submit standardized test scores and is highly recommended for all students.
- Recommendations from a teacher/professor and a high school college counselor
- Academic writing sample: we require an English, history, or other humanities course paper from the junior or senior-year.
- Community engagement: student’s level of involvement in a non-academic setting, such as school clubs, athletics, extra-curricular volunteer organizations, or self-initiated activities, e.g. starting a business or conducting independent research.
- Optional test scores: scores can reinforce past performance, rather than predict success. At Lake Forest, students have a choice on whether these are considered.
National Trend Toward Test-Optional Admissions:
More than 700 colleges and universities have adopted a test-optional process to date including more than 25% of the top 110 national liberal arts colleges ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Examples include Bard, Bates, Bowdoin, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Hamilton, Hobart & William Smith, Knox, Lawrence, Middlebury, Mt. Holyoke, St. Lawrence, Sarah Lawrence, and Union.
The model for test-optional admissions is Bates College, which adopted a test-optional admission practice in 1984. A twenty-year study at Bates found no difference in academic performance or graduation rates between submitters and non-submitters.
For more information on the test-optional admission process please contact Bill Motzer, Vice President for Admissions and Career Services, at 800-828-4751 or motzer@lakeforest.edu.
