Wake Forest University is a private liberal arts institution in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In the spirit of its motto “pro humanitate,” the university puts emphasis on personal engagement and community: Classes are rigorous and small, allowing the school's over 5,400 undergrads to have one-on-one interaction with their professors.
The university offers 49 majors and over 60 minors, including entrepreneurship, bioethics, accountancy and medieval studies. Lush landscaping and a stately brick chapel provide the backdrop for its stellar academics, though they do come with a high price tag — the estimated cost of attendance tops $94,600 for the 2025-2026 academic year. However, the college says it meets 100% of students' demonstrated financial need with grants, scholarships, work-study programs and subsidized loans.
Nearly 90% of its students graduate within six years, and the university boasts median early-career earnings of more than $78,000.
Despite its rigorous academics, students at “Work Forest” (a nod to the college’s roots as a manual labor institute) know how to blow off steam. Nearly half of enrolled undergraduate students go Greek, joining campus sororities or fraternities. "Wake Wednesday" is the big weeknight to go out, either to a fraternity house off-campus or, for a change of scenery, local bars downtown. Feeling celebratory? Students use toilet paper to “roll the Quad” after big athletic wins.
