Wake Forest University (WFU) vs Stanford

Wake Forest University and Stanford University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wake Forest, a private liberal arts university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, boasts a tight-knit community and a strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching. Stanford, a private research university in Stanford, California, is renowned for its academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and entrepreneurial spirit. With acceptance rates of 30% and 5%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. Wake Forest's popular majors include business, biology, and psychology, while Stanford's strengths lie in computer science, engineering, and economics. Wake Forest's student body is predominantly white (68%) and female (56%), while Stanford's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population (18%). Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Wake Forest at 91% and Stanford at 95%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these two exceptional universities and determine which
Stanford University logo

Stanford University

Wake Forest University logo

Wake Forest University

Overview

Location Stanford, California Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Campus setting Suburb: Large 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 98.0% 94.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 3.9% 25.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $90

Graduate: $125
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $80
SAT range 1470 - 1570 N/A
ACT range 34 - 35 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 15.0%
Students submitting ACT score 11.0%
Total number of applicants 55,471 15,156
Total number of admissions given out 2,190 3,816
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,757 1,412
Yield rate 80.2% 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) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $78,898 $79,886
Average net price $14,402 $24,643
Tuition $55,473 $58,708
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $11,166

Meal plan: $6,694
Room/dormitory: $10,144

Meal plan: $7,870
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

61.0%
Average amount $56,211
33.0%
Average amount $53,244
Students receiving federal student loan 5.0%
Average amount $5,151
17.0%
Average amount $4,985
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $17,186
3.0%
Average amount $32,719

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 7,645
Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
5,472
Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students 10,035
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
3,475
Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 58.5% N/A
International students 24.4% 9.8%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 14,621 4,152
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Texas Washington New York Illinois N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 5:1 10:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 95.5% 90.2%
Dropout rate 1.7% 9.5%
Transferred out 0.6% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $151,574
  • Year 2: $170,457
  • Year 3: $210,837
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $159,729
  • Year 2: $168,942
  • Year 3: $203,193
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $164,734
  • Year 2: $163,337
  • Year 3: $187,054
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $137,457
  • Year 2: $150,874
  • Year 3: $173,548
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $136,126
  • Year 2: $136,499
  • Year 3: $165,375
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $128,556
  • Year 2: $135,709
  • Year 3: $157,500
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $123,354
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $139,234
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,326
  • Year 2: $111,435
  • Year 3: $126,185
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,457
  • Year 2: $90,856
  • Year 3: $107,477
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,475
  • Year 2: $85,391
  • Year 3: $104,592
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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