Wake Forest University - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges

Wake Forest University

#47 in National Universities (tie)

4 year • Winston-Salem, NC

4 year • Winston-Salem, NC
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Overview

Wake Forest University is a private institution that was founded in 1834. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,447 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 340 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Wake Forest University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #47. Its tuition and fees are $64,758.


Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, just a few hours by car from skiing in the Blue Ridge Mountains or relaxing on the beaches of South Carolina. Campus Recreation offers intramural sports and outdoor trips such as kayaking on the New River, mountain biking and sky-diving. The Demon Deacons, Wake’s athletic teams, are members of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference. When Wake Forest played rival Duke University in 1922 and won, a local reporter described the Wake players as "Demon Deacons," and thus, the mascot was born. Students must live on campus for six semesters in one of the residence halls. Greek organizations play a big role at Wake Forest, with membership consisting of almost half of the student body.


Wake Forest is made up of six schools. Its graduate programs include those in the highly ranked School of Law, School of Business and School of Medicine. Undergraduates are enrolled in either Wake Forest College or the business school. More than 60 percent of students take advantage of Wake’s study abroad programs offered in more than 70 countries around the world. Notable alumni include the shortest NBA player of all-time, Muggsy Bogues; legendary golfer Arnold Palmer; and journalist and talk show host Al Hunt.

Wake Forest University is a private institution that was founded in 1834. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,447 (fall 2022), and the campus size is 340 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Wake Forest University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #47. Its tuition and fees are $64,758.


Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, just a few hours by car from skiing in the Blue Ridge Mountains or relaxing on the beaches of South Carolina. Campus Recreation offers intramural sports and outdoor trips such as kayaking on the New River, mountain biking and sky-diving. The Demon Deacons, Wake’s athletic teams, are members of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference. When Wake Forest played rival Duke University in 1922 and won, a local reporter described the Wake players as "Demon Deacons," and thus, the mascot was born. Students must live on campus for six semesters in one of the residence halls. Greek organizations play a big role at Wake Forest, with membership consisting of almost half of the student body.


Wake Forest is made up of six schools. Its graduate programs include those in the highly ranked School of Law, School of Business and School of Medicine. Undergraduates are enrolled in either Wake Forest College or the business school. More than 60 percent of students take advantage of Wake’s study abroad programs offered in more than 70 countries around the world. Notable alumni include the shortest NBA player of all-time, Muggsy Bogues; legendary golfer Arnold Palmer; and journalist and talk show host Al Hunt.

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At-a-Glance

Setting

N/A

Tuition & Fees

$64,758

Undergraduate Enrollment

5,447

Acceptance Rate

21%

P.O. Box 7373, Reynolda Station, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109

2024 Rankings

Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.

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Admissions

Jan. 1

Application Deadline

21%

Acceptance Rate

SAT Range*

1380-1510

ACT Range*

31-34

High School GPA*

N/A

* These are the average scores of applications admitted to this school. Ranges represent admitted applicants who fell within the 25th and 75th percentile.

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College Admissions Calculator

Data provided by U.S. News College Compass Users.

Cost

Tuition & Fees

$64,758

Room & Board

$20,440(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$60,695

$29,214

Annual Cost*

$29,214

Annual Cost*

Tuition & Fees

$64,758

Room & Board

$20,440(2023-24)

Average Need-Based Aid Package

$60,695

*Average cost after aid

Academics

85%

4-Year Graduation Rate

10:1

Student/Faculty Ratio

59%

Classes With Fewer Than 20 Students

Popular Majors

MAJOR

% OF GRADUATES

ALUMNI STARTING SALARY

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

22%

$70,699

Social Sciences

20%

$55,585

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs

8%

$45,276

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

8%

$27,591

Psychology

7%

$37,719

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
22% Percent of Graduates
$70,699 Alumni Starting Salary
Social Sciences
20% Percent of Graduates
$55,585 Alumni Starting Salary
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
8% Percent of Graduates
$45,276 Alumni Starting Salary
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
8% Percent of Graduates
$27,591 Alumni Starting Salary
Psychology
7% Percent of Graduates
$37,719 Alumni Starting Salary

* In cases where salary data at the specific major level is unavailable, a general salary for the major category is displayed.

Faculty Research Impact

Bibliometric Rank

65

Bibliometrics is the statistical analyses of publications and citations for the purpose of measuring faculty research impact.

Publications Cited in Top 25% of Journals

62%

Publications Cited in Top 5% of Journals

21%

Total Papers published between 2018-2022

12,313

Citations Per Publication

15:1

Data provided byLast updated 2023.

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Students

5,447

Undergraduate Enrollment

Graduate Enrollment

3,516

Total Enrollment

8,963

Full-Time Degree-Seeking Students

5,388

Student Diversity

Gender Distribution

Male45%
Female55%

Ethnic Diversity

24%

Minority Enrollment

24%

Minority Enrollment

66%

White

9%

Hispanic

9%

International

6%

Black

5%

Two or more races

4%

Asian

1%

Unknown

Not Specified is not included in this breakdown due to an enrollment of 0%.

Campus Life

Housing and Dorms

Types of campus housing available:

  • coed dorms
  • sorority housing
  • fraternity housing
  • apartment for single students
  • theme housing
  • wellness housing
  • other housing options
  • Student Activities

    99+

    Sports Teams

    13

    Fraternities

    11

    Sororities

    After College

    Graduation Rate

    85%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    25%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $31,476

    $49,929

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    $49,929

    Median Starting Salary of Alumni

    Graduation Rate

    85%

    Graduating Students Who Have Borrowed (any loan type, 2021)

    25%

    Average Debt at Graduation

    $31,476

    Reviews & Ratings

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    Undergraduate data are based on the 2022 school year.

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    My Fit Custom College Ranking

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