In this article, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about how to get into Wake Forest University.

The school is, as you may already know, a very competitive and prestigious private research university. With a rank of #29 in the US News and World Report’s National ranking, the school is going to be quite difficult to get into.

Here is a breakdown of the popular majors in the school.

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services	21%
Social Sciences	20%
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs	10%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences	9%
Psychology	8%

If you’re looking for a strong liberal-arts education and you enjoy the Winston-Salem, North Carolina community, this will be a competitive yet fitting school for you.

We’ll be covering everything from the school’s acceptance rates to the best strategies that will help you get accepted.

With that said, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

1. Wake Forest Acceptance Rates.
2. Wake Forest Acceptance Rates By Schools.
3. Wake Forest Stats.
4. What it Really Takes to Get Into Wake Forest.
   • What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Wake Forest?
   • What SAT Do You Need to Get Into Wake Forest?
5. Why the Wake Forest University Essay Changes Everything.
   • The Weight of the Essay in Relation to Other Admissions Factors.

Wake Forest Acceptance Rates.

The following information will be sourced from Wake Forest’s Common Data Set, which we’ve pasted a link to here.

You can also find some of their old admissions data with this link here, and compare admissions statistics from previous years to the most current admissions cycle.

This lets you see admissions trends over time.

1. Wake Forest Regular Acceptance Rate.
   • For the 2022-23 admissions cycle, Wake Forest received 16,857 applicants; 3,602 students were accepted.
   • Thus, Wake Forest University had an acceptance rate of 21.36%
   • Wake Forest also has a waitlist process; however, they do not publicly display their admissions statistics.
2. Wake Forest Out of State Acceptance Rate.
   • Interestingly, Wake Forest is a very geographically diverse university.
   • Of the accepted students, 77.96% were out-of-state. 11.41 were international students, and the rest are in-state.
   • Do not misinterpret this as a reason not to apply to Wake Forest if you’re an in-state applicant. If the school contains the accommodations, resources, fit, and culture that you need to maximize your chances of future success, you should still attend.
3. Wake Forest Transfer Acceptance Rate.
   • Transfer students had a slightly higher chance of acceptance than freshman applicants.
   • In total, Wake Forest received 295 transfer applicants. Of those, 85 were accepted.
   • That makes Wake Forest University’s transfer acceptance rate 28.81%. Therefore, their transfer admissions cycle was only 7.45% more than the freshman admissions cycle.

Wake Forest Acceptance Rates By Schools.

Some of this information cannot be sourced from Wake Forest University’s official Common Data Set. Thus, we’ve needed to consult the campus admissions office for this data.

1. Wake Forest Med School Acceptance Rate.
   • For the class of 2026, Wake Forest received 11,066 applications. Of those students, 269 were accepted.
   • This makes the Wake Forest med school acceptance rate a meager 2.43%, making it highly competitive even for some of the best students.
   • The average accepted GPA was 3.76, and the average MCAT score was 511.
2. Wake Forest Law School Acceptance Rate.
   • Fortunately, Wake Forest law school has a much higher acceptance rate than its medical counterpart.
   • For the class of 2027, Wake Forest law school received 1,989 applications. Of the 1,989, 1,106 were accepted. This makes the Wake Forest law school acceptance rate 55.61%.
   • Students had a median GPA of 3.6 and a median LSAT of 161.

Wake Forest Stats.

Here are some stats for Wake Forest University’s accepted students. We’re going to be covering the most important points; but, we’ll also add in some other important stats such as ACT scores, etc.

1. Wake Forest Average GPA.
   • For the 2022-23 admissions cycle, Wake Forest University does not publicize the percentages of students and their GPAs.
   • 98% of accepted students were in the top half of their high school graduating class.
   • 93% of accepted students were in the top quarter of their high school graduating class.
   • 74% of accepted students were in the top tenth of their high school graduating class.
   • Only a small 2% were in the bottom half of their high school graduating class.
   • Thus, despite the fact that Wake Forest University doesn’t share student percentages and GPA, one can infer the average accepted GPA is in the 3.9 range.
2. Wake Forest Average SAT.
   • 25th Percentile: 1400
   • 50th Percentile: 1450
   • 75th Percentile: 1500
3. Wake Forest Average ACT.
   • 25th Percentile: 31
   • 50th Percentile: 33
   • 75th Percentile: 34

What it Really Takes to Get Into Wake Forest.

Now that we’ve got the general acceptance rates and stats out of the way, let’s get to the meat of the dish. That is, we’ll be covering what it really takes to get into Wake Forest.

As you may have already assumed from the previous sections, you’ll need a strong GPA, test scores, and an impressive application profile as a whole in order to get accepted into Wake Forest.

But, this is not the whole picture.

Let’s discuss that below.

What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Wake Forest?

Long story short, you’ll probably need somewhere around the 3.9 GPA ballpark in order to get accepted into Wake Forest.

More specifically, it’s good to be in the upper 25% of your school’s academic performance.

So, if most students on average earn a 3.5 GPA, you’ll certainly want to be higher than that. This is going to vary from school to school, as Wake Forest doesn’t necessarily publicize their average accepted GPAs based on a percentage of students. (Example: what percentage of students have a 4.0 GPA.)

Based on previous applications and Wake Forest’s general admissions trend, we can infer that a 3.9 will give you a solid shot.

Now, here’s the catch.

There are plenty of students with a 3.9-4.0 GPA who get rejected from Wake Forest University.

Just because the majority of students with a GPA of 3.9-4.0 were accepted does NOT mean that you’ll be able to secure a spot. You’ll be competing against many other completely valid and qualified candidates; besides, many highly qualified students still get rejected.

This rule doesn’t just apply to Wake Forest, either. It applies to virtually any competitive school that takes its grades and test scores seriously.

What SAT Do You Need to Get Into Wake Forest?

Although Wake Forest’s 50th percentile of students had a 1450 SAT score and 33 ACT score, you should consider the weight of standardized test scores.

Here’s what their Common Data Set has to say.

Wake Forest University only considers the standardized test scores if you submit them. That means abstaining from the SATs and ACTs will have no impact on your chances of admission.

However, if you still insist on sending the standardized test, we recommend you stand out from the middle 50th percentile. That means you should submit your SATs and ACTs to Wake Forest University if you have an SAT of 1450 or higher and an ACT of 33 or higher.

Now, that brings us to another point: who is even submitting their scores if standardized tests are not required?

Well, the answer is easy: only the students who are confident in their scores.

After all, why would anyone submit their scores to a university if they’re not confident in their ability to perform?

This is why it’s more useful to submit your SATs and ACTs to Wake Forest University only if your scores are above the median 50th percentile: you’ll be competing against only those who are confident enough to post their scores.

Why the Wake Forest University Essay Changes Everything.

We’re going to get right to the meat of things: Wake Forest’s essay section is one of the most important elements you’ll need to consider.

As a liberal arts institution, Wake Forest has a commitment to providing students with a more holistic admissions process.

In fact, it’s even ingrained in their history. They’re one of the first institutions to desegregate their admissions process. In addition, they’re also one of the first T30 schools to not require standardized testing.

So, it’s safe to say that Wake Forest University has a more understanding and holistic admissions process; and, they’re not just going to have a cold-hearted numbers-only look at your application.

That leaves one element of the application process open to questioning: the essay.

Before we get started, let’s take a look at what Wake Forest has to say about their admissions process on their official website.

“The Wake Why

Regular admission as a first-year student normally requires graduation from an accredited secondary school with a minimum of 16 units of high school credit. These should include at least four units in English, three in mathematics, two in history and social studies, two in a single foreign language and one in the natural sciences. Most admitted students will have pursued a challenging curriculum of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses. Candidates for admission must furnish evidence of maturity and educational achievement, plus evidence of character and motivation for study in the College of Arts and Sciences. High school curriculum and classroom performance, combined with the student’s writing ability, extracurricular activities, and evidence of character and talent, are the most important criteria for admission.”

Wake Forest University, The Wake Why –Official Website

Here’s a strange question:

How on earth does anyone even select for “evidence of maturity and educational achievement, plus evidence of character and motivation?”

The school can’t just give you a scale from 1-10 on how much you want to help the world.

But, they have the essays. And, essays can do a lot.

The Weight of the Essay in Relation to Other Admissions Factors.

We’ve mentioned this in previous application essay tutorial guides before, but we’ll put it briefly. Admissions factors like the essay are going to have a lot more weight now than ever before.

This is especially true since colleges across the nation are implementing a more holistic admissions process that tries to take attributes like character and personality into consideration.

As the university said in its website, some of the most important factors to the admissions decision are going to be the “student’s writing ability, extracurricular activities, and evidence of character and talent.”

Not only do you need to demonstrate character in your essays, they’ll need to be well-written as well.

Now, we can’t really leave you empty-handed. So, that’s why we’ve provided a guide on how to write the Wake Forest University Essay here.

Perhaps one of the most important points when writing the Wake Forest essays is how to answer the Why Us essay. It’s important to be honest and transparent. So, you don’t always have to have a smart or intelligent answer on research projects and work experience that propels your future. You can admit to being in a learning phase. More details are in our article.

If you’re still unsure of your chances of getting accepted into Wake Forest University, consider speaking with a College Admissions expert and professional consultant. Schedule a free consultation with us, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours to maximize your chances of success!