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Wake Forest University - Quick Facts

Wake Forest University is a private institution distinguished among colleges and universities by its small enrollment and class size, a commitment to liberal arts education, a dedication to the values rooted in its Baptist heritage, and the centrality of the undergraduate College to its mission. Students are supported along their way by a rigorous curriculum, excellent teacher-scholars, critical resources and technology, and opportunities for study-abroad. All of this is provided in a stimulating atmosphere of intellectual vitality and great physical beauty. Distinctions enjoyed by the University include:

• Wake Forest ranked 30th in the 2007 U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s top universities, moving up one spot. For the third year in a row, Wake Forest was recognized for its “outstanding first-year experience.” Strong graduate programs in arts and sciences, a growing divinity school, and nationally-ranked schools of law, management and medicine enhance the undergraduate experience.

Did You Know That. . .

• Wake Forest was founded in 1834 by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and opened as Wake Forest Institute. It was rechartered in 1838 as Wake Forest College and in 1967 earned University status.
• Wake Forest University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The Wayne Calloway School of Business & Accountancy is accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
• Since 1996, nine students have been named Rhodes Scholars and numerous other have received Marshall, Fulbright, Mellon, Luce, and Truman scholarships. Two students were recently recognized by USA Today's All College Academic Team in 2003, the only students from North Carolina recognized.
• In 1996 Wake Forest instituted a far-reaching Undergraduate Plan to improve its already excellent caliber of instruction. Under the plan, each entering student receives an IBM ThinkPad and color printer, which is updated after two years and becomes their property upon graduation. The Plan dramatically increased the use of technology, introduced first-year seminars, expanded the faculty, added new scholarships for study abroad, and brought a variety of other changes to the campus.
• Half of all undergraduates spend a semester abroad, either at University-owned residences in Venice, London, and Vienna, or through other programs in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.
• The University’s motto, Pro Humanitate (for humanity), is embodied by students and faculty who volunteer around the corner and around the world. Students organize annual service trips to India, Honduras, Vietnam, and Eastern Europe, and spring break service trips to inner cities in the United States. The Pro Humanitate Center, established with a major grant from the Lilly Foundation, helps students match their interests in serving others with their career goals.
• Each year Wake Forest students compete in the International Mathematical Contest in Modeling, an annual contest sponsored by COMAP Inc., a nonprofit organization that produces math-teaching materials, and the National Security Agency. A Wake Forest team won top honors for five years in a row, beginning in 1999.
• For eight consecutive years, graduates of the Calloway School have ranked in the top five in the nation in passing the CPA exam.
• A student/faculty ratio of 10:1 allows students to get to know their professors. Most classes have less than 25 students, and freshmen have at least two seminar classes with less than 16 students. With the exception of health classes and some laboratories, all classes are taught by faculty members, not graduate students.
• Thirty percent of Wake Forest students go on to graduate or professional school. Of those applying to medical school, 68% were accepted in the most recent year, compared to the national average of 47%. Sixty percent applying to law school were accepted.
• 65% of undergraduates receive some type of financial aid, allowing them to pursue their dream of a Wake Forest education. Under a need-blind admissions policy, students are accepted without regard to their ability to pay tuition, and the University pledges to meet their full demonstrated financial need through scholarships, loans and work-study funds.
• A recent grant from the Kauffman Foundation has created the Center for Entrepreneurship to foster programs in entrepreneurship across campus and support student ventures.
• Wake Forest’s field hockey team has become one of the best in the country, winning three national championships. Although one of the smallest schools to play Division I athletics, Wake Forest has a Top 5 men’s basketball team, an exciting football team, a history-laden golf program, and nationally ranked teams in soccer, tennis and cross country.