How to Get Into Wake Forest: Acceptance Rate & Strategies

August 4, 2025

wake forest acceptance rate

Any list of the top colleges in the U.S. South will typically start with names like Duke, Vanderbilt, UNC-Chapel Hill, and the University of Virginia. Somewhat hidden toward the end of this generally accepted 鈥渢op-tier鈥 is a mid-sized, private university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was founded in 1834鈥擶ake Forest University, the home of the Demon Deacons. Exceptional both academically and athletically, the WFU student body has always been constructed via a competitive admissions process. However, the 45%+ acceptance rates of the early 2000s are long gone. Today, the university attracts more than twice as many applicants, and the Wake Forest acceptance rate is now much lower. This makes the issue of how to get into Wake Forest a lot more complicated.

Considering this increase in selectivity, the intent of this article is to give those applying to Wake Forest University a full understanding of:

  • Wake Forest acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
  • Wake Forest鈥檚 ED acceptance rate
  • GPA, SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Wake Forest applicants
  • Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
  • A look at the demographics of Wake Forest undergraduates
  • The percentage of accepted students who attend the university (yield rate)
  • How Wake Forest evaluates applicants
  • Tips for applying to Wake Forest
  • Whether applying to Wake Forest is worth the application fee (for you)

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Wake Forest Acceptance Rate 鈥 Class of 2028

For the Class of 2028, Wake Forest received 18,737 applications, a slight increase from the previous year. Of these applicants, it accepted 4,066 students, making Wake Forest’s overall acceptance rate 22%.

Historical Wake Forest acceptance rates are as follows:

Applicants Admits Acceptance Rate
Class of 2027 17,496 3,768 22%
Class of 2026 16,587 3,602 22%
Class of 2025 15,156 3,816 25%
Class of 2024 11,959 3,825 32%

Wake Forest Early Decision (ED) Acceptance Rate

Wake Forest offers applicants an ED I round with a November 15th deadline as well as an ED II round with a January 1st deadline. They have yet to report recent ED acceptance rates.

However, we do know that they accepted 773 of 2,241 ED applicants into the Class of 2024. This 34% ED acceptance rate was only a touch higher than the 31% acceptance rate for regular decision applicants that same year. Still, our own student data suggests that small differences between ED and RD could be attributed to the fact that the ED pool includes a relatively large percentage of non-competitive applicants. In other words, these statistical differences could be underestimating the advantage that competitive applicants to Wake gain from applying ED.

What GPA do you need to get into Wake Forest?

Although Wake Forest does not report average GPA, we can assume鈥攂ased on class rank and other statistics鈥搕hat it is likely a 3.5 or higher.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Wake Forest?

Among enrolled 2023-24 first-year students, 67% were in the top 10% of their graduating class while 91% were in the top quarter. For the admitted Class of 2028, the school reported that 96% were in the top 20% of their graduating class.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Wake Forest?

Wake Forest recently announced that about half of 2023-24 applicants submitted test scores; the median SAT score for students admitted to the Class of 2028 was 1450 and the median ACT score was 33.

The year prior (Class of 2027), the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1410-1500, and the mid-50% ACT range was 32-34.

Admissions Trends & Notes 鈥 Class of 2028

  • The number of applications increased by about 10% between 2023 and 2024, and by nearly 40% over the past four years.
  • 96% of admitted 2028 students were in the top 20% of their class.
  • Although about half of students typically submit test scores, Wake Forest has been a test-optional institution since before it was cool (2008) and won’t be changing that policy anytime soon.
  • This was the first admissions cycle that Wake offered first-generation students an exclusive early action round.
  • Each year, Wake aims to put together an incoming freshman class of about 1,400 students.

Who Gets Into Wake Forest?

Let鈥檚 now turn our attention to the demographics of the Wake Forest undergraduate student body.

Geography- National

Geographically, the ten states from which the most undergraduates hail from are:

  1. North Carolina
  2. New York
  3. New Jersey
  4. Florida
  5. Maryland
  6. Massachusetts
  7. Connecticut
  8. Georgia
  9. Virginia
  10. Illinois

As at any highly selective school, Wake Forest is seeking geographic diversity. 聽If you hail from a less-populated state like Wyoming, Idaho, or South Dakota, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances than if you live in a state with a flood of applicants every year (like the ten listed above).

Geography- International

International students typically make up between 7-9% of the undergraduate population at Wake Forest. Currently, forty countries are represented.

Ethnicity

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the incoming Class of 2027 was as follows:

  • White: 62%
  • Asian: 8%
  • Hispanic: 10%
  • Black or African American: 7%
  • Two or more races: 6%

Religious Preference

When it comes to their religious/spiritual identity, students most often identify in the following ways:

  • Catholic: 24%
  • Presbyterian: 7%
  • Christian: 6%
  • Baptist: 6%
  • Methodist: 6%
  • Jewish: 5%
  • No Preference: 17%
  • Other/Unknown: 6%

Yield Rate

Wake Forest University鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 36%. This ranks behind other elite private schools in the same region like Duke, Vanderbilt, and Tulane. This means that the majority of accepted students ultimately elect to attend a different institution.

How Wake Forest Evaluates Applicants

Wake Forest ranks the following five categories as being 鈥渧ery important鈥 to the admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, application essays, and character/personal qualities. Recommendations, an interview, extracurricular activities, and talent/ability are rated as 鈥渋mportant.鈥

As the Dean of Admissions once explained, 鈥溾 holistic and careful process allows us to consider each candidate individually. We seek students who have excelled academically, exhibited intellectual curiosity and creativity, and who have demonstrated character and concern for those around them. We thoughtfully review the skills, talents and experiences that each student would bring to the Wake Forest community.鈥

Being an athletic recruit can also be a massive boost to your admissions prospects. suit up 470+ undergraduates every year. For advice about how to stand out on the extracurricular front, check out our previous blog entitled聽How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Tips for Applying

If you plan on joining the 17,000+ Wake Forest hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

  1. For starters, Wake Forest strongly recommends with the admissions staff, but it is not required. Each interview lasts roughly 25 minutes and they are evaluative in nature. There is also the option to record a 2-3 minute video. For advice on what types of questions you should be prepared to answer/ask visit our blog鈥College Interview Tips.
  2. WFU does factor legacy status into the admissions process. Therefore, those with a parent who is a Wake Forest alum will receive a boost to their admissions prospects.
  3. Wake Forest considers 鈥demonstrated interest鈥 so you should connect with the school via social media, make contact with an admissions officer, and, if possible鈥攙isit campus, take an official tour, or connect with admission staff at a college fair near you.
  4. Lastly, be sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to Wake’s optional supplemental essays. In the most recent cycle, they were as follows:

Essay Prompt – Required

Why have you decided to apply to Wake Forest? Share with us anything that has made you interested in our institution.

Optional/Recommended

  • List five books you鈥檝e read that have intrigued you. (150 characters per title/ 150 characters per author)
  • Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world鈥檚 complexity. This can include a work you鈥檝e read, a project you鈥檝e completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved. (150 words)
  • Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person鈥檚 dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou鈥檚 powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community? (300 words)
  • Give us your Top 10 list. (The choice of theme is yours.) (100 characters per item)

These essays are EXTREMELY important in the admissions process. Wake Forest genuinely wants to know a great deal about each student offered a place in their freshman class. One thing is for sure鈥擶ake鈥檚 supplemental prompts are unique, so it鈥檚 unlikely you鈥檒l be able to modify content already written for other schools to which you are applying.

In the words of the admissions staff: 鈥淥ur short-response prompts represent questions that are uniquely Wake Forest and thus afford you the opportunity to show us what is 鈥渦niquely you.鈥 So, when preparing your essay and your answers to these prompts, take advantage of the opportunity to give us a glimpse into what drives you intellectually. Tell us what you鈥檝e read, what you鈥檝e done, what you think. About what? About anything and everything that is important to you.鈥

For more tips on how to handle these essays, check out our blog: Wake Forest Supplemental Essays and Tips.聽

Should I apply to Wake Forest?

Excellent grades in a rigorous high school curriculum (AP/IB) are basically a prerequisite for admission. However, star students who may have underperformed on standardized tests can greatly benefit from the school鈥檚 long-held test-optional policy.

Wake Forest University Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

If you are academically qualified, there is no harm in filling out a Wake Forest application as long as you have the $65 to spare. Still, even applicants with above-average qualifications (relative to other WFU applicants) should still have an array of 鈥淭arget鈥 and 鈥淪afety鈥 schools selected. For more on this, consult our blog鈥How to Create the Perfect College List.

Ready to start putting your applications together? You might consider checking out the following: