Wake Forest University
A 5,600-undergraduate private university in Winston-Salem that pairs small classes with research and professional schools.
- Acceptance rate
- 21%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 9,633
- 5,595 undergraduates
- International
- 4%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 10:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $73,170
- 2026-27
About Wake Forest
Wake Forest University was founded by North Carolina Baptists in 1834 in the town of Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, and moved to its Reynolda Campus in Winston-Salem in 1956. It describes itself as a collegiate university: in fall 2025 it had 5,595 undergraduates alongside 4,038 graduate and professional students, a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and 99% of classes with fewer than 50 students.
Undergraduates study in the College, with more than 50 majors and 60 minors, or apply into the School of Business. Wake Engineering is an undergraduate-only engineering department grounded in the liberal arts, based with biochemistry and medicinal chemistry at Wake Downtown, a 151,000-square-foot facility in the same building as the medical school. The university also has schools of law, divinity, medicine and professional studies, and runs its own study-abroad houses in Venice, Vienna and London.
Admission is selective: 4,068 of 19,600 first-year applicants were admitted for fall 2025, and just over half of each entering class usually enrolls through binding Early Decision. Wake Forest has been test-optional since 2008 and invites optional interviews. It suits students who want close contact with professors, a traditional residential campus and big-time ACC athletics in the same place.
Pro Humanitate
“For Humanity” — university motto
Why students choose Wake Forest
Small classes at a research university: a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 99% of classes under 50 students.
Wake Forest meets 100% of demonstrated need for admitted domestic students, and the Gateway initiative makes tuition free for North Carolina families earning up to $200,000.
Wake-owned study-abroad houses in Venice (Casa Artom), Vienna (Flow House) and London (Worrell House), each led by a Wake Forest professor.
The university reports that for nine straight years at least 97% of each graduating class was employed or in graduate school within six months.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 5 applicants is admitted
4,068 admitted from 19,600 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
1,544 first-years enrolled in fall 2025. Wake Forest's facts page reports 21,497 first-year applicants and a 19% acceptance rate for the class entering in 2026. The university says it tends to enroll just over half of each incoming class through Early Decision.
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | A college-preparatory program is required: 16 academic units required and 20 recommended (Common Data Set 2025-26) |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | Certified transcripts covering at least four years of schooling, translated into English where necessary; SAT/ACT optional |
| English language | TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo is required for international applicants whose first language is not English, unless they have studied for at least three years where English is the main language of instruction. Wake Forest publishes no minimum score, accepts self-reported results, does not superscore English tests, and still accepts TOEFL iBT results from before the January 2026 format change. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 40 daysNovember 15, 2026
Binding; decisions released on a rolling basis. Also the deadline for automatic consideration for most merit scholarships.
- Early Action (first-generation students only) Non-binding In 40 daysNovember 15, 2026
Open only to first-generation college students, including international students. Decision by January 15; deferred applicants move to Regular Decision.
- Early Decision II Binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Binding; decision by February 15.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 1, 2027
Non-binding; decision around April 1 (the Class of 2031 page says by April 1).
Wake Forest's Class of 2031 page lists these dates for students applying for the fall 2027 semester; it states them without a year. Virtual interviews must be requested within five days of applying and by November 18, 2026; video interview answers are due November 20 (ED I and EA) or January 9 (ED II and RD).
How to apply
Common App or Coalition (Scoir) Application, or a print application; $85 fee (waivers available); official high school transcript and Secondary School Report; one letter of recommendation from a counselor or teacher; Early Decision Agreement for ED I or ED II. Optional: supplemental questions (pick one), counselor recommendation, SAT/ACT, and a virtual or video interview.
What admissions looks for
- Genuine enthusiasm for academic rigor and a willingness to take on challenging, interdisciplinary work.
- The most challenging curriculum available to you, including a demanding senior year.
- A commitment to service and to the university's Pro Humanitate ideal.
- Intellectual curiosity, character and open-mindedness, which Wake Forest explores through its optional interviews and video answers.
Tips for applying to Wake Forest
- 1 Request the optional 25-minute virtual interview within five days of submitting your application; the last request date is November 18, 2026.
- 2 If cost is a question, run the Net Price Calculator before committing to Early Decision, as the admissions office advises.
- 3 Apply by November 15 to be considered for most merit scholarships, including full-cost awards such as the Reynolds, Carswell, Gordon and Stamps Scholarships.
- 4 If you are a first-generation college student, you can use the non-binding Early Action round and get a decision by January 15.
- 5 International applicants: Wake Forest offers no need-based aid to foreign nationals, so unless you win a merit scholarship you must document sufficient funding before you can be admitted.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Wake Forest University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Wake Forest meets 100% of demonstrated need for admitted domestic undergraduates with grants, scholarships, work-study and loans (CSS Profile and FAFSA required). Under the Gateway initiative, from fall 2026 North Carolina families with incomes of $100,000 or less pay nothing for tuition, housing and food, those at $100,001-$200,000 pay no tuition, and those at $200,001-$300,000 get half tuition covered. There is no need-based aid for international students, but they are eligible for most merit scholarships, including full-cost Carswell, Gordon, Reynolds and Stamps Scholarships.
- 303 of 320
- First-year need-based aid recipients whose need was fully met (CDS 2025-26)
- $71,567 (all full-time undergraduates with need: $69,008)
- Average need-based scholarship or grant, first-years with need (CDS 2025-26)
- 21%, average debt $36,431
- Class of 2025 graduates who borrowed (CDS 2025-26)
- 20 renewable awards of $16,000 each
- Presidential Scholarships for talent in art, dance, debate, music or theatre
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Undergraduate Business (BS)
Students apply into the school for BS majors in accountancy, business and enterprise management, decision analytics and finance.
Engineering (BS)
An undergraduate-only engineering department with a liberal-arts curriculum; 43% of its graduates are women, against 25% nationally.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Taught at Wake Downtown, in the same building as the medical school and a short walk from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Study abroad at Wake-owned houses
Semesters at Casa Artom in Venice, Flow House in Vienna and Worrell House in London, each led by a resident Wake Forest professor.
College-to-career courses
Wake Forest offers five for-credit college-to-career courses, a rarity among top national universities.
Research
- The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, directed by Anthony Atala, is a leader in engineering replacement tissues and organs.
- Wake Downtown and the Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem link undergraduate science and engineering with the School of Medicine.
- Wake Forest University Press has been dedicated to Irish poetry since 1975 and describes itself as the premier publisher of Irish poetry in North America.
Schools & faculties
- Undergraduate College
- School of Business
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- School of Divinity
- School of Law
- School of Medicine
- School of Professional Studies
Wake Forest reports that for nine consecutive years at least 97% of each graduating class was employed or in graduate school within six months. College Scorecard: median earnings of $78,158 ten years after entry and $67,722 six years after entry for federally aided students.
Student life
Every first-year lives on campus in a first-year residence hall, grouped into cohorts under The Forest residential commons model, and 70% of all undergraduates lived on campus in fall 2025, according to Residence Life. There are more than 250 student organizations, and Greek life is significant: the CDS reports 28% of men in fraternities and 65% of women in sororities. The Demon Deacons play 18 NCAA Division I sports in the ACC and have won 11 national championships. Traditions include rolling the Quad with toilet paper after big wins and the Moravian-style Lovefeast.
- 250+ student organizations and 17 dining facilities and eateries.
- 18 NCAA Division I teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with 11 NCAA team championships.
- Rolling the Quad: students cover Hearn Plaza's trees in toilet paper after major wins.
- Lovefeast: started in 1965, it has grown into the largest Moravian-style lovefeast in the United States.
Housing. All first-years live on campus in first-year residence halls, and Residence Life says 70% of all undergraduates lived on campus in fall 2025 (the 2025-26 CDS reports 78% in college-owned or affiliated housing).
Location
The Reynolda Campus sits on the north side of Winston-Salem, next to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Reynolda Gardens, and about 13 minutes by shuttle from Wake Downtown and the Innovation Quarter. Winston-Salem is a mid-sized city in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad that calls itself the City of Arts and Innovation, so the campus feels green and self-contained, with the city close by.
Nearest airport: Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)
Notable alumni
- AP Arnold PalmerGolf legend and seven-time major champion; attended on a golf scholarship
- TD Tim DuncanFive-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs; psychology student and national player of the year at Wake
- CP Chris Paul12-time NBA All-Star; played two college seasons at Wake Forest
- RB Richard BurrU.S. senator from North Carolina (2005-2023); BA in communications, 1978
- MH Melissa Harris-PerryPolitical scientist, author and former MSNBC host; BA in English
- EG Emily GiffinNovelist, author of Something Borrowed; double major in history and English
- MH Maria HensonPulitzer Prize-winning journalist; BA in English, 1982
- CK Cheslie KrystLawyer, Miss USA 2019 and Extra correspondent (1991-2022); JD and MBA from Wake Forest
Frequently asked questions
What is Wake Forest's acceptance rate?
Wake Forest admitted 4,068 of 19,600 first-year applicants for fall 2025, about 21%. Its facts page reports a 19% acceptance rate from 21,497 applicants for the class entering in 2026.
Is Wake Forest test-optional?
Yes, since 2008. Scores are considered only if you ask, self-reported scores are accepted, and among enrolled fall 2025 first-years who submitted, the middle 50% scored 1420-1490 on the SAT and 32-34 on the ACT.
When are Wake Forest's application deadlines for fall 2027?
Early Decision I and first-generation Early Action close November 15, 2026; Early Decision II and Regular Decision close January 1, 2027. Regular Decision applicants hear around April 1.
How much does Wake Forest cost?
The estimated 2026-27 cost of attendance is $98,730, including $73,170 in tuition and fees, $12,900 for housing and $7,396 for food. Wake Forest meets 100% of demonstrated need for domestic students.
Does Wake Forest give financial aid to international students?
Not need-based aid. International students can win most merit scholarships, including full-cost Carswell, Gordon, Reynolds and Stamps awards, and the regular application serves as the scholarship application.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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