Wake Forest University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price

Test-optional since 2008

Wake Forest announced in May 2008 that it would no longer require the SAT or ACT, long before the pandemic made test-optional admissions common. Its admissions office has always put weight on the interview instead, and that remains a distinctive part of its review. Because scores are optional, the range of 1,420 to 1,490 describes a minority of the class, 24% for the SAT and 22% for the ACT, and should not discourage a student whose grades and courses are strong.

Wake Forest: where your SAT score lands

Your SAT total

Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)

54%

Middle 50%	1,420 to 1,490
Your score is	inside the middle 50%

Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (365 SAT submitters, 338 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.

Odds and net price at other universities →

Rolling Early Decision and a first-generation round

Wake Forest's Early Decision I closes on November 15 and its decisions come out on a rolling basis, sometimes weeks before the usual mid-December date. Early Decision II closes on January 1 with the regular round. The non-binding Early Action round is reserved for first-generation college students, an unusual choice that gives them an early answer without the binding commitment that can be hard to make before aid is known.

Full need, but not always without loans

Wake Forest commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated need with grants, scholarships, work-study and loans, and describes its merit scholarships as very selective. The federal averages reflect a generous grant policy at low and middle incomes: $6,331 between $30,001 and $48,000 and $12,771 between $75,001 and $110,000 in 2023-24. Above $110,000 the average jumps to $58,081, close to the full price for families without need. The 2026-27 budget of $98,730 includes $73,170 in tuition and fees.

Wake Forest: net price for your family income

Family income per year

$

Average net price, 2023-24

$7,647

Income band	$48,001-$75,000
Share of the 2023-24 cost	9%

Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.

Compare with other universities →

Neighbors in the South

Students applying to Wake Forest often compare it with Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt and Emory. For a North Carolina resident, UNC's in-state price changes the comparison entirely; the comparison tool handles residency. Each of those pages gives its own admit rate and net price by income, so the four can be read on the same scale as Wake Forest.