R2 ResearchPrivate nonprofitMedical

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·wfu.edu
6-yr Graduation
89%
+22.5pp vs R2 Research
Total enrollment
9,322
peer median 9,094
Avg net price
$28,719
-$2.3k vs R2 Research
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
18,727
18,727 candidates competed
Admitted
4,058
21.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,464
36.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
89%+22.5pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
84%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
89%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

2.4pp gap
Pell recipients
87%110 of 127
Non-Pell (all)
89%1156 of 1293
Subsidized loan, no Pell
93%120 of 129
No Federal Aid
89%1036 of 1164

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 103 Title IV programs, 23 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 80 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
103
Passing
23
22.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

103programs
  • Passing23 · 22.3%
  • No Data80 · 77.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
23
No data
80

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

23
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+25.0%
$57,982 vs $46,391
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+36.9%
$73,476 vs $53,672
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+39.6%
$62,158 vs $44,535
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+74.2%
$60,635 vs $34,808
Romance Languages Literatures and Linguistics
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+74.9%
$60,875 vs $34,808
Biology General
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+81.8%
$63,292 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+86.2%
$64,814 vs $34,808
Law
Master's Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+88.7%
$102,929 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

21
Medicine
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
167%
$198,752 debt · $119,030 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
132%
$76,591 debt · $57,982 earn
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
93%
$104,944 debt · $112,646 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
89%
$113,765 debt · $127,297 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
87%
$53,881 debt · $62,158 earn
Biology General
Master's Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
77%
$56,884 debt · $73,476 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
46%
$101,325 debt · $221,028 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$57,895 debt · $135,677 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1921Next review Dec 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 26

  1. Oct 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs · Nurse Anesthesia (ANEST) - Institutions and programs at the master's degree, post master's certificate or doctoral degree levels
  2. Feb 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Liaison Committee on Medical Education · Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,525
$30–48k$6,331
$48–75k$7,647
$75–110k$12,771
$110k+$58,081

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$28,719
-$2,250vs R2 Research median $30,970
Federal loans
14.0%
In-state tuition
$67,642
Out-of-state
$67,642

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 667 students received $4.3M in Pell grants, alongside $99.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
667
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.3M
$4,339,565 total
Direct Loans
$99.3M
4,189 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.6M
386 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$2.4M
546 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$46.4M
1,958 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.8M
129 loan awards
Grad PLUS$43.2M
1,170 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,164 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.3%
-2.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,164
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.4%
2017
1.6%
2018
0.6%
2019
0.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Wake Forest

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs93
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,604 total completions
01Business
87133.4%
02Health Professions
33813.0%
03Social Sciences
32712.6%
04Legal Professions
2098.0%
05Communication
1786.8%
06Education
1786.8%
07Psychology
1535.9%
08Biological Sciences
1435.5%
09Parks/Recreation
1164.5%
10Mathematics
913.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
9,322
12-mo unduplicated
10,229
Undergraduate
5,691
Graduate
4,538

Gender split

Men
43%4,405
Women
57%5,824

Race / ethnicity composition

White
65.1%
Hispanic
9.7%
Black
6.4%
Non-resident
5.8%
Asian
5.3%
Two or more
4.6%
Unknown
2.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
440
279 M · 161 W
Women athletes
36.6%
Athletic aid
$21.5M
Total student aid
Budget
$114.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$14.0M
$7.5M
Recruiting expense
$1.5M
$491K
Head-coach salaries
$1.2M
$239K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
88 M · 98 W
$4.6M
Football
130 M ·
$39.4M
Soccer
30 M · 35 W
$6.1M
Baseball
40 M ·
$5.2M
Basketball
17 M · 22 W
$17.8M
Tennis
19 M · 10 W
$3.9M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
14.36
131 offenses · 9,121 students

3-year trend

11.512 yrs ago11.051 yr ago14.36Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
333
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
268
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
7
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
60
Fondling
22
Aggravated assault
20
Rape
12
Burglary
11
Robbery
4
Arson
2

By location

131total
  • On campus67
  • Non-campus60
  • Public property4

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

72
Domestic violence
8
Dating violence
46
Stalking
126 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1
  • Religion1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons60
Drugs2339
Liquor2364

Residence-hall fires

  • NC Apts 61 fire
    OtherDamage $1,000-$9,999

Data quality: 15 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
3,086

Wake Forest vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Wake Forest selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectWake Forest University
89%9,322$28,719R2 Research
70%68.9%9,196$23,847R2 Research
62%57.7%8,992$35,639R2 Research
49%64.2%4,252$37,702R2 Research
63%73.2%20,910$30,371R2 Research
83%79.8%8,581$31,568R2 Research
Peer group median67%68.9%9,094$30,970

Institutions like Wake Forest

Explore the federal data for institutions in Wake Forest's comparison group.

Wake Forest Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
336-758-5244
Address
311 Reynolda Hall, P.O. Box 7373, Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7373

The Office of Institutional Research supports institutional planning, evaluation and data driven decision-making by providing internal statistical studies to University leadership and accurate statistical data to external agencies.

Visit IR office page
Team
9 members
  • Adam Shick
    Senior Associate Director
  • Ande Strullmyer
    Data Scientist
  • Janay A. Williams
    Data Analyst
  • Katerina Tullos
    Data Analyst
  • Nicholas Hatala
    Graduate Student Assistant
  • Nicole Brocato
    Director of Institutional Effectiveness
  • Phil Handwerk
    Assistant Provost
  • Sara Gravitt
    Assistant Director
  • Marge Innovera
    Statistician

Common Data Set

Wake Forest's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Wake Forest University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Wake Forest.

What is the graduation rate at Wake Forest University?

Wake Forest University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 89% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Wake Forest University?

Wake Forest University reports a total enrollment of 9,322 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Wake Forest University?

The average net price at Wake Forest University is $28,719 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Wake Forest University?

Wake Forest University's yield rate is 36.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Wake Forest University located?

Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27106.

Who runs Institutional Research at Wake Forest University?

Wake Forest University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Wake Forest University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card