Quad
U. Notre Dame
Wake Forest

Key differences on Cost & aid

  1. 1

    U. Notre Dame costs about $14.9K less per year on average than Wake Forest ($50,602 vs. $65,515, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    U. Notre Dame's grants cover 39% of its full price on average, vs. 25% at Wake Forest

    Aid generosity

Cost & aid

Cost & aid

Average cost, aid generosity, net price by family income, sticker prices, and grants.

What students pay

Average cost, all students
U. Notre Dame$50.6K
Wake Forest$65.5K
Aid generosity
U. Notre Dame39%
Wake Forest25%
Net price, with grants
U. Notre Dame$29.3K
Wake Forest$24.4K

Grants

First-years receiving grants
U. Notre Dame61%
Wake Forest35%
Average grant
U. Notre Dame$54K
Wake Forest$63.1K
Aid from the college
U. Notre Dame60%
Wake Forest34%

Sticker prices

On one scale, so the bars read against each other.

Sticker price, in-state
U. Notre Dame$83.3K
Wake Forest$87.6K
Sticker price, out-of-state
U. Notre Dame$83.3K
Wake Forest$87.6K
Tuition & fees, in-state
U. Notre Dame$62.7K
Wake Forest$64.8K
Tuition & fees, out-of-state
U. Notre Dame$62.7K
Wake Forest$64.8K
First-years paying out-of-state rates
U. Notre DameNot reported
Wake ForestNot reported
What families at each income pay

Up to $110K: the average net price per year for students receiving federal aid, 2023–24; families who didn't file the FAFSA aren't included. Above it the published data end. For your own number, use the college's net price calculator .

Family income per year $150K

  • U. Notre DamePublished data end at $110K
  • Wake ForestPublished data end at $110K

    Merit possible; averaging $23K

Published (federal figure, up to $110K) EstimateBars share one scale: the largest full price.

Where need-based aid ends, merit, and published promises

MetricU. Notre DameWake Forest
Need-based aid up to Published data end at $110KPublished data end at $110K
Merit for students without need –Offers merit aid, averaging $23K
Published promise No tuition under $150K · 2026–27–

A college's own promise is stated for a typical family and changes yearly; where a promise and our estimate disagree, the promise wins. Merit has no income limit, so it can lower the price above the point where need-based aid ends.

Tuition guarantee & Promise program

MetricU. Notre DameWake Forest
Tuition guarantee NoNo
Promise program NoNo

From the colleges' Common Data Sets

MetricU. Notre DameWake Forest
Aid forms –FAFSA · CSS Profile · Noncustodial
Aid priority date or deadline –January 1 (priority)
Need met, first-years –100%
Average aid package, first-years –$79,381
College grant dollars given as merit –15%
Aid for international students –40 students, average $20.5K

All cost numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, 2023–24;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Notre Dame (2026–27), 2026–27;Common Data Set, most recent release;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2026 entrants;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26 (estimated);Wake Forest University (2026–27), 2026–27;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why