Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Website
$78,158
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$78,158
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Wake Forest University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with 5,485 undergraduates and 3,832 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,719 a year (tuition and fees $67,642). It admits 22% of applicants and 89% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $78,158 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $21,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,719
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$67,642
US median $11,837
Admission rate
22%
US median 78%
Completion rate
89%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$21,500
About $228 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$78,158
Rank 222 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $28,719
- Tuition and fees
- $67,642
- Cost of attendance
- $87,499
- Students with a need-based grant
- 10%
- Students with federal loans
- 14%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,525
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,331
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,647
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,771
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $58,081
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $47,682 in 2015-16 to $67,642 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 22%
- Average SAT
- 1,475
- Undergraduates
- 5,485
- Graduate students
- 3,832
- Part-time students
- 1.3%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 89%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 96
- Endowment
- $2.0B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 222 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,719 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $67,642 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 22% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 89% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $67,722 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $78,158 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 88% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 86% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
96 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 382 | $61,051 | $104,615 | $135,677 | $103,485 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 276 | $50,885 | $82,055 | $127,072 | $124,807 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 156 | $19,500 | $85,944 | $145,996 | $83,343 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 141 | $193,205 | $64,365 | $119,030 | $112,460 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 124 | $22,250 | $42,055 | $77,984 | $56,359 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 120 | $18,899 | $76,722 | $118,167 | $68,407 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 119 | $21,393 | $34,823 | $64,814 | $50,706 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 119 | $22,500 | $47,161 | $85,668 | $63,293 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 112 | $76,591 | $45,173 | $57,982 | $60,111 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $20,500 | $56,416 | $98,209 | $82,686 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $22,777 | $21,192 | $79,599 | $54,562 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $21,079 | $30,666 | $63,292 | $57,214 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 88 | $105,023 | $76,252 | $112,646 | $107,773 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 84 | $128,561 | $106,711 | $127,297 | $127,347 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | $20,549 | $75,625 | $115,493 | $107,009 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 63 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 47 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| Biology, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 38 | $57,666 | $44,209 | $73,476 | $69,830 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $19,500 | $31,449 | $77,847 | $48,590 |
| StatisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,425 |
| Engineering, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $23,000 | $46,257 | $60,635 | $52,657 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Winston-Salem and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Wake Forest University cost?
$28,719 a year is the average net price at Wake Forest University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $67,642, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $87,499. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,525 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Wake Forest University?
22% of applicants are admitted to Wake Forest University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,475. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Wake Forest University graduates earn?
$78,158 a year is the median pay of former Wake Forest University students who work, 10 years after they started ($67,722 after 6 years). That ranks 222 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $202,919.
How much student debt do Wake Forest University graduates have?
$21,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Wake Forest University graduates, about $228 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 14% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Wake Forest University?
89% of first-time, full-time students at Wake Forest University finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Wake Forest University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (382 master's graduates), Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (276 master's graduates), Finance and Financial Management Services (156 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 96 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.