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🇺🇸Winston-Salem, NC, United States·Est. 1834Private

Wake Forest University

Undergraduate teaching & business

Global rank#320
shortlist
Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
QS0 out of 100
THE41 out of 100
USC68 out of 100
USG41 out of 100
ARWU0 out of 100
CWUR43 out of 100
Niche85 out of 100
Leiden0 out of 100
73.9
aggregate score · 5 sources
QS World University Rankings
2024 edition
Unranked
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2024 edition
601–800
US News Best Colleges (National Universities)
2024 edition
#47
US News Best Global Universities
2023–24 edition
601–800
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
2023 edition
Unranked
Center for World University Rankings
2024 edition
601–700
Niche Best Colleges
2024 edition
#35
CWTS Leiden Ranking
2024 edition
Unranked

Ranking history

Real snapshots recorded each time this dataset is refreshed — never backfilled or estimated.

Ranking history over time
DateRankScore
August 3, 2026#31673.9
August 4, 2026#31673.9
August 5, 2026#31673.9
August 6, 2026#31673.9
August 7, 2026#31673.9
August 10, 2026#31973.9
August 15, 2026#32073.9
August 17, 2026#32073.9
August 20, 2026#32073.9

Admissions

Test-optional(fall 2026 entry)

Most recently published acceptance rate and enrolled-student score ranges. SAT/ACT and GPA are US-specific admissions measures, so they're only shown where applicable.

Applications / year
Acceptance rate
22%
SAT (25th–75th)
1360–1480
ACT (25th–75th)
31–33
Avg. GPA
3.70

Campus & outcomes

Class size, graduation and freshman retention rates, sticker tuition vs. what students actually pay after aid, how many receive it, post-graduation employment, research output, and a few real, commonly-cited top recruiters. Everything except ratio and enrollment is US-specific or approximate — papers/year and top employers in particular are rounded/illustrative, not exhaustive or precise database exports. Earnings figures and what they imply against cost are in their own section below.

Student : faculty
9:1
Undergrads
5,400
Grad rate (6-yr)
89%
Tuition
$62,710
Avg. net price
$35,000
Employed within 6mo
91%
Papers/year (approx.)
1,200
Classes under 20
55%
Freshman retention
91%
Receiving aid
40%
Where grads work
Wells FargoDeloitteEYTruist

Earnings after graduation

Median earnings for this institution's graduates (2024–25 published figures) and what they imply against its cost. US-reported figures — the concept doesn't translate for universities outside the US, which is why they show nothing here.

Early career
$65,000
Median, roughly 0–5 years out
Mid career
$125,000
Median, roughly 10 years out · +92% growth
Cost payback
2.2 yr
Years of early-career median equal to $140,000 of 4-year net cost
Value score 0.9× — one year of mid-career median covers 0.9× the full 4-year net cost+92% early-to-mid career growth

How to read these numbers

  • Medians, not averages, and not your salary. Half of graduates earn less. The spread within a single university is far wider than the gap between most universities.
  • Institution-wide, across all majors. Much of the difference between two universities' figures reflects what their students study — an engineering-heavy institute out-earns a liberal arts college largely through major mix, not teaching quality. Per-major earnings aren't in this dataset; the US federal College Scorecard publishes them for US federal-aid recipients.
  • Geography and selectivity are baked in. Graduates often work near where they studied, so regional cost of living inflates or deflates these figures, and selective intakes would earn well regardless of where they enrolled.
  • Payback is arithmetic, not a plan. It divides 4-year net price by early-career median and ignores aid you personally receive, loan interest, taxes and living costs.

Subject strengths

An Analects Proverbs editorial estimate — derived from this university's specialty and overall standing, not pulled from a named subject ranking.

Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
CS73 out of 100
Eng72 out of 100
Business81 out of 100
Medicine74 out of 100
Law73 out of 100
Sciences72 out of 100
Social70 out of 100
Arts74 out of 100
Strongest in
BusinessMedicineArts & Humanities
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medicine
Law & Policy
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities

Similar universities

Close in overall rank, and weighted toward the same country and type — a starting point for students who like Wake Forest University but want options to compare.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wake Forest University's ranking?

Wake Forest University ranks #320 on Analects Proverbs's combined score of 73.9/100, aggregated across 5 major published rankings.

What is Wake Forest University known for?

Undergraduate teaching & business. Its strongest subject areas, by our editorial estimate, are Business, Medicine, Arts & Humanities.

What is Wake Forest University's acceptance rate?

Wake Forest University's acceptance rate is approximately 22%, based on the most recently published admissions cycle.

What SAT or ACT scores does Wake Forest University expect?

Enrolled students typically score in the 1360–1480 range on the SAT, or 31–33 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, most recent published cycle).

How much does it cost to attend Wake Forest University?

Wake Forest University's published annual tuition is approximately $62,710, though the average net price after institutional aid is closer to $35,000 per year.

What is Wake Forest University's graduation rate?

Wake Forest University's published 6-year graduation rate is approximately 89%.

What do Wake Forest University graduates typically earn?

Early-career graduates report a median starting salary of around $65,000, rising to roughly $125,000 at mid-career.