College statistics
- Address:
- 1834 Wake Forest Road
Winston-Salem, NC
27106 - Sector Group:
- Private Not-for-Profit 4-Year or Above
- Official Website:
- www.wfu.edu/
- Setting:
- City
- Annual In-State Tuition:
- $66,470
- Annual Out-of-State Tuition:
- $66,470
- Room and Board:
- $21,312
- Acceptance Rate:
- 21.6%
- Endowment (End of Year):
- $1,997,300,000
- Research Activity Tier:
- Research 2: High Spending and Doctorate Production
- Economic Mobility Index:
- Lower Access, Higher Earnings
- Primary Undergraduate Major:
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
Wake Forest is a private research university that draws students from across the country and around the world. The school sits in Winston-Salem's urban setting but maintains a residential campus feel—most students live on campus all four years, which shapes the culture significantly. It's not affiliated with any religious tradition today, though it was founded by Baptists, and that heritage of community and values still shows up in how the place operates.
About 9,121 students attend Wake Forest, making it medium-sized—large enough to have real research opportunities and resources, small enough that you're not a number. Tuition runs $64,758 per year, and with room and board, the total cost of attendance is $87,556 annually. The school has a substantial endowment of $350.6 million, which means they have real financial resources to support students and programs.
Wake Forest is genuinely selective: the acceptance rate is 21.6%, and admitted students typically score in the 740–770 range on the SAT math and reading sections. The 90.9% six-year graduation rate is excellent and reflects both the quality of students admitted and the school's commitment to seeing them through. This is a school for students who want a rigorous education, strong residential life, and access to research opportunities—not a place that's easy to get into, but one that delivers on its promise once you're here.