Wake Forest: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Wake Forest is a private institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Wake Forest admits between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4 applicants, with an overall admission rate of 22%. Admitted students typically post a median SAT around 1450. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,719 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price.

What GPA does my child need for Wake Forest?

Most admitted students at Wake Forest present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.

What does Wake Forest weight in admissions?

Wake Forest reports these factor weights in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). What the weights mean

SAT and ACT scores Wake Forest typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 710–770. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–34. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.

Where admitted students ranked in their high school class

Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort, often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.

How much does Wake Forest actually cost?

Published tuition is $67,642 for in-state students and $67,642 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $18,494 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $28,719 per year, and that is the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 10% of students receive Pell Grants.

Application deadlines and early decision data for Wake Forest

Will my child graduate from Wake Forest?

These predict outcomes at Wake Forest better than its acceptance rate does. How to read retention and graduation rates

Most popular majors at Wake Forest

The most popular undergraduate programs at Wake Forest, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business/Commerce, General, Finance and Financial Management Services and Political Science and Government. Across all programs, Wake Forest confers roughly 966 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business/Commerce, General program report a median income of about $107,296 five years after entering college. What these figures mean

Is Wake Forest safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Wake Forest disclosed 131 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 23.9 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 24 violent offenses and 34 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Why per-1,000 rates, not counts

What is campus life like at Wake Forest?

About 78% of undergraduates at Wake Forest live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 28% of men join a fraternity and 65% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.

Other colleges in North Carolina parents ask about

• North Carolina State University at Raleigh
  42% acceptance
• Appalachian State University
  90% acceptance
• East Carolina University
  89% acceptance
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  80% acceptance
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  89% acceptance
• Davidson College
  13% acceptance
• Elon University
  66% acceptance
• High Point University
  75% acceptance

Common questions parents ask about Wake Forest