Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a large private non-profit R2 doctoral research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with an undergraduate enrollment of 5,485. Classified as a doctoral research university, it supports graduate programs in select disciplines and allocates significant resources to faculty research activity alongside its undergraduate mission. As an independently governed, non-profit institution relying on tuition, endowment returns, and philanthropic support, it operates within the broader North Carolina postsecondary education landscape and is regionally accredited, making its credits and degrees eligible for federal financial aid. With a 22% acceptance rate, admission is selective. Applicants are evaluated on a competitive basis, with roughly 22 out of every 100 candidates offered admission. Net price for families earning \$48,001–$75,000 averages $7,647 per year. The highest program-level earnings outcomes are in CIP 00 — 10-year median earnings among aid recipients in these fields reach $145,996. The 4-year graduation rate is 90%, 45 percentage points above the national average of 45%. Among students who received federal financial aid, 10-year median earnings are $78,158. FIRE rates the campus free speech climate at 55/100 — a mixed record on speech protections.