Wake Forest University (WFU) vs NorthWestern

Wake Forest University and Northwestern University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wake Forest, nestled in the charming town of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, boasts a tight-knit community and a strong liberal arts foundation. Northwestern, located in the vibrant city of Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for its rigorous academics and research opportunities. With acceptance rates of 30% and 9%, respectively, these universities attract high-achieving students from across the globe. While Wake Forest's popular majors include Business, Biology, and Psychology, Northwestern excels in Engineering, Economics, and Computer Science. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	Wake Forest University
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	25.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $80
SAT range	1470 - 1570	N/A
ACT range	34 - 35	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	15,156
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	3,816
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	1,412
Yield rate	62.8%	37.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$83,838	$79,886
Average net price	$29,999	$24,643
Tuition	$60,276	$58,708
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	Room/dormitory: $10,144 Meal plan: $7,870
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	33.0% Average amount $53,244
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	17.0% Average amount $4,985
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	3.0% Average amount $32,719

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	5,472 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	3,475 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	17.8%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,409	4,152
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Business Health Professions Legal Profession Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	90.2%
Dropout rate	4.2%	9.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $169,430 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $155,438 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,143 Year 2: $96,587 Year 3: $105,398 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,169 Year 2: $80,510 Year 3: $96,761 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,086 Year 2: $76,836 Year 3: $93,939 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,098 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,902 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,076 Year 2: $65,145 Year 3: $79,400 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,533 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,702 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,731 Year 2: $60,811 Year 3: $72,065 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,100 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $70,717 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,086 Year 2: $57,411 Year 3: $65,270

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