WA K E F O R E S T U N I V E R S I T Y international brochure
What sets us apart Undergraduate students are immediately eligible for
Mentored Research in any academic department or discipline.
97%
fewer than 30 students. Wake Forest has the only exclusively undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Engineering program
of Wake Forest graduates find
with a curriculum grounded in a
employment or graduate school
liberal arts tradition at a
placement within six months of receiving their degrees.
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Most classes (86%) have
Research University.
TestOptional
17 National rank in LinkedIn Top
Standardized test scores are
Colleges 2026: The 50 best
optional in the admissions
colleges for long-term career
process and have been for
success in the U.S.
more than 15 years.
Debate Champs Wake Forest is the only school to have won all three of intercollegiate debate’s most prestigious tournaments in the same year (2023).
Venice, Vienna & London Wake Forest owns and operates three academic-residential houses where students live and study with faculty in foreign countries.
Unique Voyages For 60 years, students have researched, purchased and curated a nationally recognized collection of contemporary art.
Wake Forest is a pioneer in the education of
Leadership & Character. We lead a character education movement of more than 800 organizations.
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Challenge is waiting for you
in every corner of the Wake Forest experience.
6
WakerSpace: The merger of academic disciplines is set in acrylic and on wood and even, perhaps, in stone in an experientiallearning environment.
Experiential Learning It’s a good idea to find your classes’ stated meeting
“It’s important to have a place to paint if painting
locations. But don’t be too surprised if some of
helps you relax,” says the studio’s administrator,
those locations change. A Wake Forest education
Paul Whitener.
is dynamic, thoughtful and open to the merger of principle and place – whether outdoors or across town. Sooner or later, nearly every student takes advantage of this remarkable resource. Consider the multipurpose venue of creation and improvisation we call WakerSpace. It’s a design
If not in WakerSpace, Wake Foresters are learning
studio. It’s a podcast studio. It’s a printmaking hub for
by doing in the wild.
everything from pottery to proteins. (OK, 3D plastic models of protein structure, but you get the point.)
Maybe they’re interning in business management or healthcare administration. Or organizing a charitable
In its first seven years, WakerSpace creators
event that attracts 1 of every 3 undergraduates as
produced an estimated 15,000 button pins, 4,500
participants. Or collecting data on campus that will
ceramic tile coasters, 1,500 keychains and an untold
benefit the planet. In short, the arrows of outrageous
number of other objects.
collaboration point in every direction.
WakerSpace hosts academic classes in disciplines
Deacs dance, debate and decipher. They dazzle,
as disparate as education, studio art and Russian. It
decide and decode. Decompress, deliberate and
teaches practical skills. Its mission is half academic
describe. Deep-dive, dissect and dig. Donate, draw
and half dedicated to wellbeing.
and dream. 9 5
Faculty Excellence Wake Forest faculty don’t hand off teaching to graduate students or bypass the classroom by going remote. (In the Fall 2025 semester, 99.4% of undergraduate classes met in person, and 100% were taught by faculty.) And while they’re teaching as often as their colleagues at small colleges, they’re adding to the world’s base of knowledge and meeting the University’s obligations as a research institution. (Every two weeks on average, somebody publishes a new book around here.) Across the globe, if need be, and across disciplines for certain, our teacher-scholars make discoveries and connections. Here are a few examples of their work.
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Minghan Chen, Computer Science If AI has you agitated and irritable, Minghan Chen, associate professor of computer science, asks you to give the technology a break. Chen’s research uses artificial intelligence to help us understand how Alzheimer’s disease works and to predict its insidious progression. She hopes that means faster diagnoses and improved early-stage treatment. We can all get behind that.
Anthony Sali, Psychology Multitasking is a myth, says Anthony Sali, assistant professor of psychology. When we are doing homework and watching TV, for example, the brain is switching between tasks so often that it can’t really do either effectively. Over time, our actions get slower. We make mistakes. The cost adds up.
Julie Wayne, Business Julie Wayne, professor of management in the Wake Forest School of Business, is a nationally cited expert in what she terms invisible family load. Wayne says women carry a disproportionate burden for the often-unseen but critical logistical tasks that keep a family operating. So what are we going to do about it? Families should communicate regularly and openly, Wayne says, ensuring that everybody knows who’s doing what and when.
Every summer, more than 100 students conduct faculty-mentored research under the auspices of the Undergraduate Research
Topics addressed in Fall 2025 include:
and Creative Activities (URECA) Center. Their
› The ethics of AI-generated art
labors culminate in a formal presentation a few
› How honeybees can help us understand the brain
months later on URECA Day, the celebration of
› Whether parenting style has a role in the
collaboration held on Family Weekend. In recent
development of obsessive-compulsive disorder
years, participants have done their work in nearly
› The benefits of dance in mitigating the risk of falling
60 countries in addition to domestic locales.
in older adults
Oana Jurchescu Denton Family Faculty Fellow and Professor of Physics Oana Jurchescu wants the world to be flexible. The chemistry professor, one of the world’s leading researchers on wearable electronics, aspires to create versatile devices – plastics, mainly – that “can conform to any part of the human body for medical applications. Hopefully these will change the way we interact with technology and improve the quality of our lives.”
Kyana Young Associate Professor of Engineering Sometimes, the best classroom is just outside the front door. Kyana Young asks her students to pick a spot on campus and deliver a thorough environmental assessment of the space. They measure air, soil and water; ascertain sustainability challenges; and prepare reports that administrators use in problem-solving. 15
Requirements, majors and minors Wake Forest delivers a comprehensive education that
prepares graduates to pursue a variety of career fields and to adapt and pivot when real-world circumstances require a change of path. Our model and curriculum educate the whole person and often help students discover interests they had never previously considered. For nearly a decade, 81% of graduates have declared a second major and/or a minor or minors. In the Class of 2026, that figure was 82%.
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AREA
REQUIREMENT
#
The Basics
First-Year Seminar
1
The Basics
Writing Seminar
1
The Basics
200-Level Foreign Language
1
The Basics
Health & Exercise Science
2
The Divisions
Humanities
2
The Divisions
Literatures
1
The Divisions
Fine Arts
1
The Divisions
Social Sciences
2
The Divisions
Math & Natural Sciences
2
The 21st Century
Quantitative Data Analysis
1
The 21st Century
Ethical Inquiry
1
The 21st Century
Power, Oppression & Resistance 1
The 21st Century
Studies in World Cultures
1
MINOR
MAJOR
MAJOR
MINOR
Accountancy
Finance
African American & African Studies
French Studies
American Ethnic Studies
German
Anthropology
German Studies
Applied Mathematics
Global Trade & Commerce Studies
Applied Statistics
Greek
Arabic
Health & Exercise Science
Art History
Health & Human Services
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Health Policy & Administration
Bioethics, Humanities & Medicine
History
Biology
Interdisciplinary Humanities
Biophysics
Interdisciplinary Studies
Business
Italian Language & Culture
Business & Enterprise Management
Japanese Language & Culture
Chemistry
Jewish Studies
Chemistry: Biochemistry
Journalism
Chemistry: Materials Chemistry
Latin
Chemistry: Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Discovery
Latin American & Latino Studies
Chinese Language & Culture
Linguistics
Classical Languages
Marketing Communication
Classical Studies
Mathematics
Communication
Medieval & Early Modern Studies
Computer Science
Middle East & South Asia Studies
Contemporary Global Studies
Music
Creative Writing
Neuroscience
Critical & Creative Media Studies
Philosophy
Cultural Heritage & Preservation Studies
Physics
Dance
Politics & International Affairs
Decision Analytics
Psychology
East Asian Studies
Religious Studies
Economics
Russian
Education: Elementary
Russian & East European Studies
Education: Secondary
Schools, Education & Society
Engineering
Sociology
English
Spanish
Entrepreneurship
Statistics
Environment & Sustainability Studies
Studio Art
Environmental Science
Theatre
Environmental Studies
Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Film & Media Studies
Writing
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Foreign Area Studies
Course Completion Checklist
Italian Studies
From the time you enroll, students have support
Spanish Studies
services to help them stay on course to earn the fruits of their academic labor, a degree from Wake
Programs Interdisciplinary Honors Military Science Self-Instructional Languages
First-Year Seminars First-year seminars usually include 15 to 19 students, are taught by faculty from all academic divisions and ranks, and feature intense intellectual interchange – both written and oral – in a seminar setting. Students participate in critical thinking and analysis of arguments.
A Sampling of Seminars Offered in Spring 2026 23 and Who? Identity & Belonging Animals Make Us Human: A Service Learning Course Comparison Is the Thief of Joy Creative Care: Empathy and the Benefits of Community Engagement The Culture of Youth Sports Encountering Contemporary Art From Sauerkraut to Sourdough: Fermented Foods in Science, Society & Literature Hollywood to TikTok: Celebrity, Identity and the Digital Gaze Poverty and Prosperity: Inequality in Winston-Salem Storytelling, Irish Style
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Forest. The Registrar’s Office checklist is only one of these tools.
New thinking, the oldfashioned way
With a simple, one-sentence prompt, you can ask your phone to deliver an impressionist painting
depicting your cat as an astronaut. We saw this coming – computer science faculty discussed artificial intelligence at a Wake Forest-sponsored conference in 2000 – and the University’s leadership in engineering, science and math is consistent with its historical excellence in humanities and social sciences.
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Engineering Our engineering program, which welcomed its first
that can power vital medical devices when natural
students in 2017, is dedicated to studying solutions
disasters knock out electricity in the region.
for some of the world’s most pressing problems. › Another group built a motorized exercise bike Capstone projects, students’ culminating academic
that is compact enough to fit into a conventional
experiences, require participants to apply knowledge
hospital bed. Assembled in three easy steps, it can
from earlier coursework to a major, open-ended
mitigate the rapid loss of muscle mass that often
design endeavor. The team-based work overcomes
accompanies even short-term confinement to a bed.
various hurdles and is ultimately presented to an audience of faculty, fellow students and guests each
› Two other teams designed and built smart
April. Among the highlights of 2026:
transport systems for transplant organs. They hope to lengthen the viability of the heart and the
› At the request of the city of Winston-Salem, one
pancreas by one hour in their lifesaving journeys
team designed a portable, solar-powered trailer
from donor to recipient.
Biomedical Sciences
Mathematics and Statistics
The biochemistry and molecular biology program
In line with projections that math-related careers
doesn’t just offer research; it requires it. And these
will be among the fastest growing in the next
opportunities are abundant in an environment that
decade, Wake Forest has added majors, minors and
relishes challenges.
concentrations in recent years that prioritize solving real-world problems. The mathematics and statistical
Similar opportunities are available through the
sciences departments provide numerous opportunities
chemistry major’s concentration in medicinal
for students to be involved in research and prepare
chemistry and drug discovery. Complacency is
students for in-demand careers in business,
not in our DNA, which means the quest for new
education, industry and government agencies.
solutions is always in session.
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In the spirit of innovation, the programs in biochemistry and molecular biology, engineering, and medicinal chemistry and drug discovery are housed in a facility that once served as tobacco warehouse space. They’re a 13-minute shuttle ride from the main campus, but they’re anchored in our liberal arts tradition, which means they reach across the academic spectrum for ideas.
Women have accounted for
43% 25%. of our engineering graduates.
The national average is around
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Our Motto Means More Wake Forest’s motto, Pro Humanitate (For Humanity), is an idea that inspires an evolved liberal arts education, experience and environment dedicated to celebrating and exploring all it means to be human. While this concept carries different meanings and applications for every individual, it serves as a simple calling to ask the most of ourselves so that we can improve lives beyond our own. By design, Pro Humanitate can be found in every corner of a Wake Forest education. Through campus and community engagement, faculty mentorship, professional development and a vibrant residential experience, your time at Wake Forest will offer you endless opportunities to apply this guiding principle through the lens of what drives you.
Project DESK gives new meaning to the concept of personalized learning. 26
HIT THE BRICKS
WAKE ‘N SHAKE
Wake Foresters travel around iconic Hearn Plaza to
The 12-hour dance marathon is the spring
raise money for cancer research every fall. In 2025
semester’s cancer fundraiser. The goal is to beat
alone, 1 of every 3 undergraduates participated in a
cancer like a drum. Or, if you prefer, a cowbell. Over
record-breaking commitment.
the past decade, the event has raised $3.3 million.
PROJECT PUMPKIN
CAMPUS KITCHEN
Local children happily descend on the Wake Forest
Whether repurposing meals or making new ones,
campus for Halloween-themed entertainment and
more than 200 Wake Forest students annually
education to benefit initiatives that make learning fun.
help Campus Kitchen cook, serving thousands of our neighbors.
What does Pro Humanitate mean to you? The language of Pro Humanitate is spoken in many forms. See and hear a few of our distinctive motto’s definitions.
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“There is nothing more impactful and rewarding
“Pro Humanitate transformed my understanding
than engaging with the local community and
of education and ambition. Success is not about
doing something that creates immediate and
outrunning others, but about widening the path so
real-world improvements.”
more people can move forward together.”
Christopher Dietrich (’26)
Roksanna Keyvan (’26)
“Doing what’s beneficial for the community, helping
“I think of a community that’s constantly uplifting
where we can in whatever power we have.”
and encouraging each other to work towards a common goal.”
Ryan Chen (’26) Abby Ershadi (’27)
“Giving back to your community, loving those around
“Perhaps we should do good simply because it is the
you and an openness to exploration and willingness
right thing to do, because it makes the world a better
to step out of your comfort zone.”
place. I feel that part of what Wake Forest seeks to do is teach its students how to do that.”
Couriyah Stegall (’26) Janani Krishnakumar (’26)
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Leadership and Character In the spirit of Pro Humanitate, Wake Forest is a national leader in the study of leadership and character and how those concepts impact the world. The commitment to leadership and character is evident throughout the academic and cocurricular experience and touches almost every student in one form or another. Examples include:
Courses in engineering, entrepreneurship, religious studies, politics and several other disciplines Discussion groups Guest speakers Workshops Relationships with offices, organizations and thinking partners across campus.
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“Students are hungry for this work. At this university, we create opportunities for them to engage thoughtfully and critically with their own character in meaningful ways.”
Michael Lamb, Ph.D. Senior Executive Director The Program for Leadership and Character
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Express yourself A thoughtful, real-world preparatory education covers a lot of ground. At Wake Forest, it includes a requirement to take at least one class in an arts-related discipline. For many, a funny thing happens on the way to that obligatory forum: Students discover they like what they’ve learned, and they want to pursue it further. That really helps explain why the arts thrive in the Forest. Every day of the fall and spring semesters, you can find an exhibition, lecture or performance somewhere. Whether piano or poetry or sculpture or scat, there’s a style and substance to appreciate.
A look at Wakeville: Artists are everywhere. 37
But one day stands out. It’s called Wakeville, an interdisciplinary arts festival that has become a must-see, musthear event. Hundreds of participants in at least 12 unique academic disciplines and every artistic talent under the sun, behind the mic, on the stage, in the kitchen and on the grass flock to venues across campus to share their talents.
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“The diversity of artists, mediums and practices is to be applauded. Taking their cues from the original mandate, Wake Forest’s students have assembled an impressive gathering of art.” John Yau in Hyperallergic magazine, May 2024
Once every three years, a group of students travels to New York to expand the Mark H. Reece Collection of Student-Acquired Art. The initiative has one mandate: that the acquisitions reflect current American culture. The list of 139 unique artists whose works are displayed across campus today includes Pablo Picasso, Jasper Johns, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring.
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Do Your Own Thing Wake Forest’s interdisciplinary entrepreneurship program combines a wide-ranging academic plan with cocurricular tools that put solutions into the world. After all, good ideas don't have to be confined to anybody's forest.
Facts › Entrepreneurship has been the most popular minor in 11 of the past 15 graduating classes (2012-26). › One of every 11 undergraduate degree recipients has declared the entrepreneurship minor in the past decade. › In the program’s history, 78% of its graduates have declared their primary major in STEM, social science or humanities disciplines. 42
The Venture: UpNext
transfer rights through the NCAA’s transfer portal.
The Sector: College athletics recruiting and
One was a close friend who couldn’t get noticed.
intelligence platform The Proprietors: Cody Cater (’24) and Claude
“He was having a hard time getting in front of
Bragg (’24), on right
coaches,” Bragg said. “He was just sitting there
The Concept: Cater and Bragg, Wake Forest football
on Twitter, saying, ‘Hey, I’m in the portal.’ He got
players, wondered what would happen if they could
completely lost.”
introduce a river of data to a changing landscape. Some might say they'd be flooding the zone, to steal
Cater and Bragg put the IDEATE method, Wake
a football term.
Forest’s nationally recognized method for teaching entrepreneurs to identify problems worth solving,
These were – and still are – the early days of virtually
into action. They conducted hundreds of interviews
unlimited player movement between colleges. Simply
with athletes, coaches and agents and leaned on their
by being in the college football ecosystem, Cater and
own coaches and administrators.
Bragg heard about others who were exploring their 43
What they found shocked them. Including all NCAA
it does so in a compact and easily navigable form.
divisions, they determined that more than half of aspiring transfers were at serious risk of never
So far, more than 250 schools have signed up. The
finding another competitive home.
database includes more than 5,000 verified athletes and more than 100 vetted agencies.
“No verified and trusted infrastructure existed to support [the system],” Bragg said.
And what’s next for UpNext? Men’s basketball, which launched in the spring of 2026.
The result was UpNext, a thorough information system free to players and available to schools and
“The success stories,” Cater said, “have come through
agents on a subscription basis. Cater, Bragg and their
players uploading their information and coaches
team begin with procuring data on college athletes,
finding them, creating a successful transfer that
whom they encourage to fill out a profile that
might not have always happened. That player might
expands and enhances their stories. UpNext therefore
have been stuck in Twitterland.”
gives coaches a better idea of what’s out there, and
The Venture: Nori The Sector: Clothing care The Proprietors: Annabel Love (’18) and Courtney Toll (’18), on right The Concept: Love and Toll wondered if there was a way to streamline the process of taking clothes from the dryer to the ready-to-wear stage. They developed and marketed an iron that can iron, press, steam or steam-iron clothes while they’re still hanging up. Nori, “iron” spelled backward, caught Oprah Winfrey’s attention and landed on her “Favorite Things” list for 2022. From there, it took off. It’s now available on amazon.com and in Target stores, among others. “We believe the Wake Forest liberal arts curriculum breeds adaptable and well-rounded students who are ripe for careers in entrepreneurship,” they said. “We count ourselves lucky for our Wake Forest start.” 44
The Venture: Pugs Media The Sector: Social media consulting The Proprietors: Connor “Pugs” Flannery (’25) and Charlie Phinney (’25), on left The First Idea: “Glorified drop-shipping,” as Phinney called it, lasted about two months. With a live audience pitch looming, the collaborators decided to change course. The Pivot: Flannery had been building a social media following since the age of 13. (Today, his channels average 250 million views per month.) Phinney, meanwhile, had run multiple small businesses in high school. They were pros, and the answer on what to do next hit them like a ton of clicks. Based on their experience, they thought they could create a full-service agency helping clients get the most out of their social media presence. Pugs Media was born. “It wasn’t super obvious from the start,” Flannery said, “but the path was there. It was just fuzzy.” That’s when the Wake Forest Entrepreneurship program came along for the ride. Deacon Springboard, an initiative that provides various resources necessary to launch ventures, facilitated the pivot. Startup Lab, which functions as an accelerator, helped Pugs Media grow. Most have seen their viewership multiply by twice to “Being able to try, fail and learn while still in school
tenfold within 60 days.
was massive,” Phinney said. “The resources and support of the program put us in a position where
And the first part of the journey, the one that got
going full time felt like the obvious next step.”
jettisoned? They use it all the time when advising a change of game plan.
By early 2026, the company had served 75 clients, at least 25 of which were active and recurring,
“Part of our sell to clients is that we are always going
across industries ranging from law and biotech to
to pivot based on what works,” Flannery said. “They
consumer packaged goods and wedding planning.
don’t have to worry about what works on social.” 45
A library Unrivaled by Any What makes Z. Smith Reynolds Library distinctive? The answer to that one could
On top of that, they teach one of the most robust
fill shelves by itself. In addition to its shelves,
elective, for-credit library instruction programs in
ZSR builds its foundation on three other
the country. One in 3 graduates take one or more of
words beginning with S: staff, spaces
the program’s classes, which familiarize students
and specials.
with the process and resources of academic research and help them evaluate information’s credibility and
Staff
value to specific projects.
Research librarians are subject experts. They know the lingo of the field, not just the
Spaces
location of the file.
Whether the goal is to study, create or collaborate, ZSR has carved out specific spaces to meet the need. Specials Here’s where it gets fun. The ritual known as Wake the Library is a tradition within an institution within a university. Staff members prepare meals for latenight exam crammers, who benefit from the food and the fun. Other accessories to this controlled revelry have been known to include dance groups, ice cream scoops and therapy dogs.
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New stomping grounds We’re building common grounds. And we anticipate they’ll be uncommonly fun. Under construction and expected to be completed in 2027, The Grounds will be a collection of retail shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, walking trails, residences and office spaces in the shadow of Demon Deacon athletics venues. A select quantity of residential areas will be available for students seeking to complete their three-year campus housing requirement. Connected to campus by enhanced walkways and crossings, The Grounds will be a year-round gathering place set to boost an already vibrant city of more than a quarter of a million people.
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RDU CLT
WinstonSalem
Our home city combines the ease and
sense of community found in a small city with the amenities and energy of a much
larger metropolitan area – all conveniently located in the center of a state framed
by mountains and the Atlantic coast. Whether you are looking for excitement, tranquility or anything in between, you won’t have to travel far to find it.
Stay Entertained Winston-Salem complements campus activities with a vibrant downtown dining scene, live music, professional sports, historic museums, cultural festivals and much more.
City of Arts & Innovation Home to both the National Black Theatre and Riverrun International Film festivals, Winston-Salem offers an eclectic and exciting mix of artistic venues, facilities, events and experiences.
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WSNC Home to 260,000 friends and fans
“Although the city is traditionally Southern in its friendliness, it has an international feel ... a fertile land for entrepreneurs and small businesses.” U.S. News & World Report, Best Places to Live, 2025-26 edition
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Welcome to The Forest The residential experience at Wake Forest Our mission is to give you the freedom to be exactly who you are and to explore who you want to be while surrounded by the resources necessary for you to reach your full potential. The Forest, our residential commons model, meets students where they are with support, encouragement and guidance.
THE FOREST
From day one, every student automatically belongs to a residential cohort within the broader Wake Forest community. Within each residence hall, these smaller groups are designed to connect students to each other, to residential and academic advisers, to Faculty Fellows, and to the many resources available to them as they navigate their new home. The connections are strengthened through Wake The Forest, a six-week, campuswide experience rooted in the pillars of The Forest that helps students build community, engage with campus life, discover opportunities for involvement and develop the confidence to thrive at Wake Forest. Home is where your people are. And The Forest is where you “belong” from your first day on campus.
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We can help. At Wake Forest, we are elevating the consciousness of care on campus. Students are ready to engage openly about mental health, and a new initiative, We Are Wake, meets that need. We Are Wake teaches students, faculty and staff about what distress looks like in the Wake Forest community, when and where to find help, and how to implement effective responses when mental health concerns arise. And it is steadfast. From that first, possibly cautious step into a residence hall to the joyful trot across the stage at Commencement, We Are Wake is there, backed by the belief that each of us has the capacity to learn. To notice. To offer support. To refer. To care.
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The Eight Dimensions of Thrive PHYSICAL WELLBEING The intersection of diet, diligence and decompression SPIRITUAL WELLBEING Uniting beliefs and connection into a sense of something bigger than yourself ENVIRONMENTAL WELLBEING A new take on the three R’s: relaxation, reflection and restoration EMOTIONAL WELLBEING The ability to know your pressure points and defuse them before they hit you INTELLECTUAL WELLBEING Advancing from making observations to developing ideas OCCUPATIONAL WELLBEING In simple terms, the merger of work-life balance and fulfillment SOCIAL WELLBEING Finding the outlets that best meet your needs to engage with others FINANCIAL WELLBEING Achieving peace of mind and a piece of your long-term dreams 60
› Every 68 seconds, someone enters the nationally acclaimed Wake Forest Wellbeing Center. › In 2025-26, nearly 40% of the first-year class took one or more group exercise classes. › More than 90% of undergraduates are involved in campus recreation programs and facilities.
The definitive bird’s-eye view of campus. Courtesy of a drone.
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From day one Office of Personal & Career Development
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More than 200 other institutions have visited Wake Forest or reached out in other ways to learn how the Office of Personal and Career Development excels.
10 Wake Forest’s national rank in job placement among LinkedIn Top Colleges 2026.
There are a lot of reasons that talented young people of character want to attend Wake Forest. Learning in depth about a particular topic. Understanding what it means to live in – and to contribute to – a diverse community. Seeing new places and experiencing new cultures. These and other reasons contribute to another benefit: getting a job. And a second job. Starting a career. Changing careers. Wake Forest’s Office of Personal & Career Development is a national leader. Here’s a sample of how and why:
Career coaches are assigned to work with students based on the student’s major, not class year.
OPCD staff are available at least 20 hours per week to provide input on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and social media posts.
OPCD staff conduct seminars on everything from salary negotiation to dining etiquette.
The support system includes funding for interview-related travel and clothing expenses for students who have financial need.
The engagement process starts when a student arrives, and it includes action plans for every stage of an undergraduate career. 65
All the world
Students and faculty visit South America to make a difference.
is a classroom Befitting a university that has been among the nation’s top 10 doctoral institutions in study-abroad participation for 21 straight years, Wake Forest sent its adventurers to 64 cities in 35 countries in 2025-26. Between them, those countries are home to more than 60 commonly spoken languages and hundreds of dialects. Cool customs and breathtaking locales? Some things just can’t be counted.
Vienna
(Flow House):
Venice
(Casa Artom):
London
(Worrell House):
Neighbors include the house
For more than 50 years, Wake
A quick area tour will take you to
in which Beethoven composed
Foresters have learned in a house
places that have been home to the
Symphony No. 3.
on the Grand Canal, one of the
creators of James Bond, Winnie-
world’s most iconic locales.
the-Pooh and psychoanalysis.
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Wake Washington The Wake Washington Center at Dupont Circle opened in Fall 2017 and welcomed the first cohort of the Wake Washington semester program. Students study and intern in the nation’s capital for the fall or spring semester while taking courses taught by a Wake Forest professor. Through opportunities including internships, networking and mentorship, Wake Washington students are able to combine theory and practice through experiential learning. With over 9,000 alumni, parents and friends in the metro area, D.C. often feels like an extension of campus. In Wake Washington’s brief history, students have interned with more than 100 partners, including members and committees of both houses of Congress; think tanks and policy groups; arts organizations; media outlets; and other nongovernmental organizations. The graduates have become attorneys, museum curators, financial analysts, startup founders and other successful professionals.
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There’s a stop sign where Pearl Park Way meets South McDowell Street in Charlotte, North Carolina,
New Horizons
but it’s more than it seems. We call it an intersection of liberal arts and business; the crossroads of medicine and engineering; the convergence of classroom learning and practical experience; and the further bonding of a university and a vibrant city 70 miles (as the crow flies) from our main campus.
Starting in the spring of 2027, Charlotte will host a semester-long study-away program in The Pearl, the city’s first designated innovation district. Sophomores and juniors will intern by day at partnering businesses and take classes taught by Charlotte-based Wake Forest faculty at night. They’ll live in apartments leased by the University, located near public transportation and within an easy walk of The Pearl. Anticipated academic themes in the coming years include data visualization, issues of leadership and character, health and human services, and the engineering and marketing of medical devices.
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Go Deacs! There are more than 400 doctoral research universities in the U.S. Of them, 68 play in the four most powerful conferences in intercollegiate athletics. And of those 68, exactly one had fewer than 5,600 undergraduates in Fall 2025. You’re looking at it. And there’s a lot to see.
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2022-23
2024-25
Men’s Cross Country – ACC Champion
Men’s Cross Country – ACC Champion
Women’s Golf – NCAA Champion
Men’s Soccer – ACC Champion
Baseball – NCAA Men’s College World Series Semifinalist
Women’s Soccer – NCAA Runner-Up
2023-24
2025-26
Women’s Golf – ACC Champion
Men’s Tennis – NCAA Champion
Men’s Tennis – ACC Champion
11 NCAA Division I team championships and 10 NCAA individual championships all-time
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The Screamin’ Demons, a collection of devoted fans, is not just the largest of the more than 300 student organizations on campus; it is also the loudest. Its membership policies are quite simple: No dues. No tryouts. No interviews. Just energy. The second you walk through the gates at any Wake Forest sporting event, you’re one of us. Thousands of students, one goal: Get loud.
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Founding member of the
ATLANTIC
COAST
CONFERENCE
in 1953
Only school with fewer than
5,600 undergraduates to have won NCAA Division I team championships in
6 sports CHAMPIONSHIPS WON:
23
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL tournament appearances
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3 MEN’S GOLF 1 WOMEN’S GOLF 3 FIELD HOCKEY 1 MEN’S SOCCER 1 BASEBALL 2 MEN’S TENNIS
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ACC
Only member of
ONE OF THE
NCAA’S
4
STRONGEST
championships in 11 sports
CONFERENCES
96%
23
NC AA-measured student-athlete
GR ADUATION
R ATE
with fewer than 5,600 undergraduates in 2025-26
Wake Forest athletes
have participated in the
OLYMPICS & PAR ALYMPICS, representing 10 countries in 11 sports and earning seven medals between them.
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Never a dull moment Architectural Digest calls Wake Forest one of the nation’s prettiest college campuses. And that’s without the benefit of fall foliage, which only adds to the magnificence. But don’t let all the scenery fool you. Beauty and bustle happily coexist in a place where more than 300 student organizations operate, seven arts venues host events and members of our surrounding community routinely visit for a variety of purposes. There’s almost always something going on, and you don’t have to work hard to find it. Among the most recent additions to the slate is Face to Face, a nationally acclaimed speaker series that has brought actors, athletes, activists, former presidents, musicians and others to Wake Forest for thoughtful, meaningful discussion. In several cases, speakers have held student-only events in advance of the main program. The 2026-27 season will include actor Cynthia Erivo, the three-time Oscar nominee most recently acclaimed for her performance in “Wicked” and her dynamic, one-woman performance of “Dracula”; documentary filmmaker Ken Burns; chef, restaurateur and philanthropist José Andrés; Emmy Award-winning television writer Michael Schur; and golf legend Jack Nicklaus. 82
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Open Gateway Things can change over nearly 200 years. Wake Forest has become a university of national and international reputation. Some 70 years ago, we moved the campus 100 miles. Among the constants: North Carolina is our home. In honor of our entire history and in order to meet the moment, Wake Forest recently announced a commitment to the state’s sons and daughters known as the North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest. (Note: A family’s total financial picture includes household income and typical assets.)
For admitted students from North Carolina with an annual family income of less than $100,000, financial aid packages will cover tuition and all standard living expenses (i.e., housing and meal plans).
North Carolinians in the $100,000 to $200,000 range will be tuition free, only paying living expenses and applicable student fees.
North Carolina students in the $200,000 to $300,000 group will have half of their tuition Learn more about the Gateway initiative.
covered under the Gateway initiative.
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The process of applying to Wake Forest includes a few things to remember: We invite you to scan this QR code to request more information about Wake Forest. If you do, we know you will continue to see that this is a remarkable place. 90
Test-Optional: The decision on whether to send your standardized test scores is yours alone. Submit your application at admissions.wfu.edu/apply.
Individualized Review: Our goal is to get the clearest, most vivid picture of you as possible.
Early Action First-Gen: First-generation college students can apply Early Action to Wake Forest University.
Affordability: Wake Forest meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for eligible students. Visit financialaid.wfu.edu to learn more about the financial aid application process and important deadlines.
Deadlines & Financial Aid Guidance
January 1
November 15
Deadline for Early Decision II
Deadline for Early Decision I
Deadline for Regular Decision
Deadline for Early Action application for first-generation students
Financial Aid
Deadline for talent-based scholarship application
Begin the financial aid application process within two
Deadline for merit-based scholarship consideration
weeks of submitting your admission application. 91
For more info, visit
admissions.wfu.edu Have questions about admissions? @wfuadmissions Check out our blog: admissions.wfu.edu/connect/blog See what our newest students are saying: #wfu30 #wfu31 Connect with Wake Forest: /wfuniversity @wakeforest @demondeacons @wfuniversity @wfuniversity