Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries.

The College's current Chair of the Board of Trustees is Robert D. Krebs. The current President is Stephen D. Schutt, who joined the College in 2001 after serving as the Vice President & Chief of Staff at the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to strong academic majors in the humanities, social and natural sciences, Lake Forest College features inventive programs of study in many contemporary areas, including environmental studies, urban studies, business and finance, communication, and Islamic world studies. Lake Forest is especially known for its strong connections to the city of Chicago, and students and faculty frequently take advantage of it for study, internships, research, and recreation. The College's new "Lake Forest In the Loop" program offers students the chance to live, conduct internships, and study for a semester in Chicago. The College's Center for Chicago Programs facilitates research and internships at Chicago institutions as well as travel to and from the city. The Center also brings well-known Chicagoans to campus for classroom discussions, public lectures, and performances.

Lake Forest's accelerated and dual degree programs in law, communication, nursing, engineering, and international relations offer highly motivated students a way to finish their degree in only three years, or to complete their bachelor’s while enrolled in a graduate program at a partner university. High achieving students with a unique passion can apply to become Independent Scholars and design their own majors, culminating in a thesis or creative project.

Hands-on experience is a hallmark of a Lake Forest education, with extensive study abroad programs, internships in Chicago and the opportunity to conduct original research with a professor and possibly get published in academic journals, as many students have. Lake Forest professors' work has been published in journals and supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and many others.

More than ninety student groups provide a host of extracurricular opportunities that develop leadership skills and enhance students' campus experience and post-college prospects. Lake Forest is a member of NCAA Division III Midwest Conference and competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.