More selective than 95% of North Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $87,499. College Scorecard.
Higher than 93% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 95% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 96% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 92% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Wake Forest University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 17,479 applicants, Wake Forest University admitted 3,768 and 1,385 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1410–1520 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Wake Forest University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Wake Forest University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Wake Forest University took 4.0 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in North Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,525 | $26,426 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $6,331 | $25,641 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $7,647 | $30,970 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $12,771 | $51,723 | 1.2 years |
| $110k+ | $58,081 | $235,228 | 5.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.0 years, the average time graduates took (87% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($78,158) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $44,642 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Wake Forest University majors, earnings & careers
Wake Forest University offers 38 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 8
- Business & Finance · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Wake Forest University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Management Science / Analytics | $146,608 | — |
| Finance | $145,996 | $19,500 |
| Business | $118,167 | $18,899 |
| Computer Science | $115,493 | $20,674 |
| Economics | $98,209 | $20,927 |
| Political Science | $85,668 | $23,133 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $79,599 | $23,250 |
| Communications | $77,984 | $22,250 |
Quick list of all 38 majors
- Accounting—
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$63,292
- Business$118,167
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications$77,984
- Computer Science$115,493
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$98,209
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Engineering—
- English$77,847
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$145,996
- German—
- History—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$79,599
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Science / Analytics$146,608
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$85,668
- Psychology$64,814
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$60,635
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$60,875
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Winston
Overall prices in the Winston-Salem, NC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,332. Housing costs 29% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 43 inches of rain a year, 6 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Forsyth County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Forsyth County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Wake Forest University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in North Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest University | 22% | $28,719 | 89% | $78,158 | This school |
| Duke University | 6% | $29,612 | 97% | $97,800 | |
| Davidson College | 13% | $17,379 | 91% | $81,400 | |
| Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | 23% | $17,618 | 71% | $58,708 | |
| Elon University | 66% | $41,555 | 84% | $74,545 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Wake Forest University would cost you $893 less per year than Duke University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Wake Forest University, mostly from a higher estimate for personal & travel costs (+$1,113).
- Wake Forest University gives aided families $1,320 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Wake Forest University | Duke University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $67,642 | $68,758 | −$1,116 |
| Books & supplies | $1,630 | $1,602 | +$28 |
| Housing & meals | $17,848 | $17,458 | +$390 |
| Personal & travel | $3,320 | $2,207 | +$1,113 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,941 | −$2,953 | +$12 |
| Sticker price | $87,499 | $87,072 | +$427 |
| Average grants | −$58,780 | −$57,460 | −$1,320 |
| You pay | $28,719 | $29,612 | −$893 |
“+” means Wake Forest University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Wake Forest University
What is the Wake Forest University acceptance rate?
Wake Forest University accepts 22% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,768 of 17,479 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1410–1520 on the SAT or 32–34 on the ACT.
How much does Wake Forest University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $87,499 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,719 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $6,525 and families earning $110k+ pay $58,081.
How much do Wake Forest University graduates earn?
Former Wake Forest University students earn a median $78,158 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Wake Forest University graduation rate?
89% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 93% return for their second year.
How long does a Wake Forest University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Wake Forest University costs about $30,970 after grants ($7,647 a year for 4.0 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $78,158 ten years after starting, $44,642 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
Is Wake Forest University the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing Wake Forest University with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Wake Forest University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/wake-forest-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).