This article will not tell you whether Wake Forest is the right university for your family. No one who does not know you can tell you that. What I can do is show you, using the official data that the United States government collects from this institution, what kind of school it is, what it requires, what it costs, and what has happened to students who have already attended. With that information in hand, you decide how it fits—or does not fit—into your family’s plan.
Who Wake Forest University Is
Let’s start with the basics. Wake Forest University is a private, nonprofit, four-year university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, within Forsyth County. Winston-Salem is a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more, and the campus is within that metropolitan area. That does not mean it is right in the city center; if your child were considering living at home and commuting every day, I recommend driving that route yourself on a weekday at the time your child would have class. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
The Carnegie Classification system—the way the country organizes universities according to what they do—places Wake Forest among doctoral institutions with high research activity and describes it as a medium-sized, highly residential school: at least half of its undergraduate students live in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. It also places the university in the country’s most selective admissions group. That label tells you what kind of school it is. It does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants get in—you will see that number later, and your child should have other options on the list besides this one.
Wake Forest offers programs through the doctoral level, although that is an institutional fact: it does not mean that the specific major your child is interested in is available there or that it connects undergraduate and graduate study. That must be confirmed program by program.
One point worth making clear: Wake Forest is not listed as a historically Black college or university (HBCU), tribal college or university, or land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in the federal directory, 138 do carry at least one of those three designations. Wake Forest’s absence from that list says nothing about how many Latino students are there or how your child would feel on that campus. You investigate that by asking what organizations and cultural centers exist today and by speaking with someone who already studies there.
A Large Community, but With Few Latinos
Wake Forest had 9,121 students enrolled in the official fall count: it is neither a small nor a huge school, falling within the range of 5,000 to 9,999. But that number combines undergraduate and graduate students. If your child is about to enter a bachelor’s degree program, the number that matters is 5,471, not the total. The remaining 3,650 are graduate students: people who have already completed a degree.
Compared with the 941 selective, private four-year schools reporting in this same census, Wake Forest is among the largest: no more than one in ten schools in that group has more students.
Now for the figure that matters most to a Latino family: 10 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest falls just above the midpoint of the group, without reaching the highest quartile. This does not remove Wake Forest from consideration, but if your child goes there, your child will be part of a small group. During the visit, ask specifically what exists for Latino students: a student organization, a cultural center, or someone in the admissions or student life office who speaks Spanish.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women: 55 out of every 100 are women. And something that often surprises families: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students had permanent residence in North Carolina—exactly 15 out of every 100 did. The rest came from other states or other countries, or their residence was not reported. This does not measure distance or travel cost, but if your child ended up there, your child would very likely be surrounded by classmates who also came from far away. If this applies to your situation, build your budget around actual flights and travel, not just tuition.
Academics: Semesters, AP Credit, and a Broad Range of Offerings
Wake Forest organizes its academic year into semesters: two periods of about 15 weeks. It accepts credit for AP exams but did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Saying that it accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or score: request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling, and do not count on those savings until you have it in hand.
In the 2022–23 academic year, Wake Forest awarded 1,284 bachelor’s degrees across 19 fields of study. The field awarding the most degrees was business and management, accounting for 26 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year—no other field surpassed it, but it did not account for a majority either. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest is in the quartile awarding the most degrees each year: its offerings are broad, not concentrated in two or three majors. But 19 fields with rows in the report do not mean 19 complete majors: each field groups multiple programs, and some rows may report zero. Verify the exact program your child is interested in.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 9 to 1, one of the lowest reported in the country, and it falls in the lowest quartile among similar schools. It is a number that sounds good, but be careful: it does not count seats in a classroom or measure individual attention. It does not guarantee small classes. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
Among the structured academic opportunities Wake Forest reports are study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, and several pathways related to teacher certification.
Admissions: Selective, With Clear Requirements
Here is one of the most consequential facts. Wake Forest does not have open admissions. In its official report, it identified four mandatory requirements: the high school record, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and the English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Put simply: at this university, gathering documents is not enough. The essay is required, so your child has to write.
It also considers, although it does not require, the high school GPA, class rank, the curriculum completed, work experience, and whether someone in the family previously attended—the so-called “legacy” factor. If that does not apply to your child, do not spend energy on it. Spend it on what is within your control: the essay, recommendations, and academic record.
The undergraduate application fee is $85.
Now for the observed selectivity: in the 2023 admissions cycle, Wake Forest received 17,479 applications and offered admission to 3,768 applicants. That is 22 out of every 100 applicants. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest is among those admitting the smallest share: nine out of ten schools in that group, or more, admit a higher percentage of their applicants. On the other side of that calculation, 13,711 applicants did not receive an offer.
I want to be direct with you here: this number says nothing about your child’s worth. It says how many places were offered compared with how many people requested them. Make sure your child’s college list includes schools with different levels of selectivity and that at least one accepts most applicants.
Of those admitted in 2023, 37 out of every 100 decided to enroll at Wake Forest. The other 63 had acceptance letters in hand and still chose another school. Compared with similar schools, that 37 is high: it means that a substantial share of those receiving an offer from Wake Forest decide to attend. But this figure does not measure how difficult admission is or the quality of the experience; it only counts decisions made after admission. When your child’s letters arrive, this number will not make the decision for you: place the offers side by side and compare net price, major, and distance.
Regarding tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Wake Forest. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains equally valid. Among enrolled students, 26 out of every 100 submitted an SAT score, and among them the middle half scored between 690 and 740 in reading and writing and between 700 and 770 in mathematics. These ranges describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants, and they do not prove that the scores were decisive. That 690 is not a minimum that must be reached, nor is that 740 a guarantee of anything.
Regarding transfers: in fall 2023, Wake Forest reported 40 students who enrolled there for the first time after studying at another university. It is a low count compared with similar schools, although it corresponds with the school’s size. The transfer-out rate—how many of those who entered subsequently leave for another institution—is not reported in this file. That does not prove that no one transfers; it simply means the data are not available here.
The List Price: Nearly 88 Thousand Dollars a Year
Here we reach the number that costs families the most sleep. For the 2023–24 academic year, Wake Forest’s published cost of attendance for a first-time, full-time undergraduate student living on campus was $87,556. This total is the same for North Carolina residents and students from outside the state.
Broken down, it includes $64,758 for tuition and fees, $17,848 for on-campus housing and food, and $1,630 for books and supplies. The remainder is the financial aid office’s own estimate of other expenses—transportation, laundry, and entertainment.
Compared with the other 888 similar schools, this cost of attendance is among the highest in the group.
Complete the FAFSA. Request the aid letter in writing. Until you have it in hand, you do not know how much Wake Forest would cost your family specifically.
The Net Price: Here the Story Changes According to Your Income
At Wake Forest University, among 64 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $11,554. Among 42 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $12,769; among 119 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $54,447. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
There is a difference of $42,893 between the average for the lowest-income band (64 students) and the average for the highest-income band (119 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $27,790.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported these data with the same time coverage, Wake Forest falls within the least expensive quartile for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact worth considering when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly comes first. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent to you is what matters.
Grants, Pell, and Loans: Who Receives What
At Wake Forest, 42 out of every 100 students receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. The other 58 receive none. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest is in the quartile where grant and scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who do receive it, the annual average is $46,077—but that high average among recipients is not your offer. Do not assume anything: request the list of available grants and scholarships, who qualifies, and the deadlines for each application.
Only 9 out of every 100 students receive Pell Grants, the federal aid for low-income families. It is a low percentage and worth keeping in mind if your family would qualify for that aid.
Regarding federal loans: only 15 out of every 100 Wake Forest undergraduate students received a federal student loan in 2022–23. Most students there did not take out a federal loan that year. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest relies on federal loans less than almost all of them: nine out of ten similar schools had a larger share of students with loans.
Among those who did take out loans, the average amount was $6,038 that year. Be careful: this is not the debt with which someone graduates—it covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans, which parents sometimes end up signing for, or debt from private banks. That number—the total debt at graduation—does not appear in this report.
Wake Forest also offers a prepaid tuition plan and an installment payment plan, in case those options help your family organize its budget.
Campus Life: Housing, ROTC, and Sports
Wake Forest has institution-controlled housing, and it does not require all first-year students to live there—although that does not mean a specific program cannot have that requirement; ask about your child’s major. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. The reported maximum housing capacity is 4,104 students. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: request the rate, the application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or applicants are placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
There is an ROTC opportunity, but the only branch confirmed in writing is Army; Navy and Air Force are not marked. If your child is interested in another branch, ask directly, because unconfirmed does not mean impossible.
Wake Forest competes in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child is an athlete, that membership belongs to the school, not to your child: contact the coach for the sport directly and ask about space on the team, division, and athletic scholarships.
Regarding distance education: Wake Forest does offer online courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and reports at least one complete program that can be completed at a distance. But in the fall count, fewer than 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance. If this interests your child, confirm in writing whether it applies to the specific major.
The library has employed staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending. Reported services also include combined academic and career counseling, employment services for students, placement services after program completion, and participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans.
What If My Child Gets In? What Happened to Those Who Already Did
This may be the part that reassures a family most, and it is also the part that must be read most carefully.
Of the cohort that entered in 2022, 95 out of every 100 were still enrolled at Wake Forest or had already graduated one year later. This is a very high retention outcome, and compared with similar schools, Wake Forest is among those retaining the largest share of their cohorts. But this number combines two groups—those still enrolled and those who had already graduated—without separating them, and it does not reveal what happened to the other 5 out of every 100.
Of the cohort that entered in 2017, 91 out of every 100 graduated within six years; by four years, the figure was already 87 out of every 100—a very small gap. Compared with similar schools, Wake Forest is among those graduating the largest share of their students.
At eight years, looking at the cohort that entered in 2015–16, 91 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 93 out of every 100—a difference of only 2 points from those who did not receive one.
Here is the hard truth that I do not want to soften for you: a high number is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to a specific cohort at a specific time. What is within your control, and your child’s, is entering with all credits in order, knowing from the first semester who the academic advisor is, and finding out when enrollment opens for the courses required by the major. A national average does not decide that. What you do with the information you have does.
What Comes Next Is Yours
You now know Wake Forest University as deeply as these official data allow: a private, highly selective university with a high list price but an enormous difference in what families at different income levels actually pay, few Latinos in its community, high graduation outcomes, and clear requirements in its admissions process.
That is one piece of the map. It is not the complete map.
It is up to you to understand your family’s finances, complete the FAFSA on time, request the aid letter in writing, and compare the actual net price rather than the list price. It is up to your child to write the essay, maintain the academic record, decide whether to attend a campus where Latinos are a minority, and build the part of the application that only your child can build. And it is up to Wake Forest, like any university, to admit, deny, and offer—or not offer—the aid the family needs.
Combine this piece with what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan emerges from that combination, not from a single name on a list.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by Wake Forest University to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily corresponding to the years 2022–23 and 2023–24. Best College Aid does not represent Wake Forest University or the United States government, and this article does not constitute personalized admissions advice.