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Wake Forest University
Admission here is competitive but not lottery-odds: 21.6% got in from a pool of 17,479 (Fall 2023 cycle).
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Wake Forest University sits in Winston-Salem proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. International students are a visible presence here — 5.8% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.
Its highest-earning path is Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, where graduates median $146,608 four years out. 10.1% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 5,485 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 92.6% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1390 and 1510 — above the NC middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Wake Forest University's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Wake Forest University received 17,479 applications and admitted 3,768 (21.6%), with 1,385 enrolling.
Scores help here but aren't the gate. If your SAT sits inside the 1390–1510 submitter range, sending it likely helps; below it, Wake Forest University's own policy says you can leave it out.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 690 | 720 | 740 |
| SAT Math | 700 | 740 | 770 |
| ACT Composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Wake Forest University compares
| Wake Forest University | North Carolina median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 21.7% | 75.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $67,642 | $19,500 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $78,158 | $45,873 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Wake Forest University: $78,158 median at year ten, versus $45,873 across North Carolina institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $67,642 regardless of where you're from. At Wake Forest University, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
At 5,485 undergrads, Wake Forest University is a mid-sized campus by U.S. standards.
89.1% of Wake Forest University students finish a bachelor's within six years — 34.3 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $67,642 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Wake Forest University
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $146,608 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $145,996 |
| Business/Commerce, General | $118,167 |
| Computer Science | $115,493 |
| Economics | $98,209 |
| Political Science and Government | $85,668 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $79,599 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $77,984 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $77,847 |
| Psychology, General | $64,814 |
| Biology, General | $63,292 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $60,875 |
| Sociology | $60,635 |
Median earnings for these 13 Wake Forest University programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $78,158 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 25 additional Wake Forest University programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Wake Forest University?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1390–1510 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 21.7% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Wake Forest University's acceptance rate?
21.6% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 3,768 admitted from 17,479 applicants.
How much does Wake Forest University cost?
At Wake Forest University, published tuition is $67,642 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Wake Forest University's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Wake Forest University graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $78,158 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in North Carolina
- Saint Augustine's University — 33.8% admitted
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts — 30% admitted
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — 15.3% admitted
- Cabarrus College of Health Sciences — 23.4% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.