Winston-Salem, NC · Private · 5,485 undergraduates · urban
Wake Forest University
Highly selective
Wake Forest uses direct human interaction as a real structural choice: first-year seminars are entirely first-year cohorts, the residential setting stays central, and applicants can add an optional interview or short video response.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Strong in career outcomes, and solid in affordability.- Admission
- 21.6% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 90.3%
17,479 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$78,158 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Wake Forest apart
First-Year Seminars
Every First-Year Seminar contains only first-year students and focuses on critical reading, written and oral argument, complex questions, and faculty-designed topics.
A residential Reynolda rhythm
Students in university housing follow a formal residency and meal-plan structure, with off-campus release handled through a lottery process.
Optional conversational admission elements
Reynolda Campus concentrates academic and residential life in Winston-Salem, where recurring traditions and small seminars create a close daily rhythm.
The Wake Forest exchange
A university built for direct conversation
Small first-year seminars, campus traditions, and optional application contact all reward students who can participate thoughtfully.
Enter a faculty question
First-year courses create a small shared intellectual setting.
Build a campus routine
Housing and traditions keep daily life concentrated.
Add a human dimension
An optional interview or video can supplement the written record.
Can I get in?
21.6% admitted
Show intellectual readiness and a personal voice. The optional interview or video can add a useful dimension when it reveals something the written file cannot.
Recent applicant pool
17,479About 22 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 26% submitted an SAT, and 22% submitted an ACT. Decide by comparing your score with the published range and the rest of your academic record.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Wake Forest, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Wake Forest weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Every First-Year Seminar contains only first-year students and focuses on critical reading, written and oral argument, complex questions, and faculty-designed topics.
Make the institutional fit specific
Show intellectual readiness and a personal voice. The optional interview or video can add a useful dimension when it reveals something the written file cannot.
Use the application route carefully
Wake Forest has been test-optional since 2009. Applicants may request an interview or submit a short optional video response.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Wake Forest has been test-optional since 2009. Applicants may request an interview or submit a short optional video response.
Fee waiver: accepted
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
BusinessAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Wake Forest
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside reynolda campus concentrates academic and residential life in winston-salem, where recurring traditions and small seminars create a close daily rhythm. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Finance and Financial Management Services
Admits separately
Communication and Media Studies
Admits separately
Business/Commerce, General
Admits separately
Political Science and Government
Psychology, General
What is campus life like?
Wake Forest beyond the classroom
Reynolda Campus concentrates academic and residential life in Winston-Salem, where recurring traditions and small seminars create a close daily rhythm.
First-Year Seminars
Every First-Year Seminar contains only first-year students and focuses on critical reading, written and oral argument, complex questions, and faculty-designed topics.
The residential structure matters
Students in university housing follow a formal residency and meal-plan structure, with off-campus release handled through a lottery process.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
A residential Reynolda rhythm
Reynolda Campus concentrates academic and residential life in Winston-Salem, where recurring traditions and small seminars create a close daily rhythm.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
Optional conversational admission elements
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.