Quad

Head-to-head

U. Notre Dame
Wake Forest

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Notre Dame's yield is 26 pts higher than Wake Forest's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Notre Dame grads earn $21.8K more ten years out than Wake Forest's ($99,980 vs. $78,158)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    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
  4. 4

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

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    U. Notre Dame is 1.9× more selective than Wake Forest

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    U. Notre Dame has 1.6× as many undergrads as Wake Forest

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

U. Notre Dame admits 11%, Wake Forest 22%; U. Notre Dame's yield is higher, at 62%.

Acceptance rate
U. Notre Dame11%
Wake Forest22%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Notre DameUltra selective
  • Wake ForestHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
U. Notre Dame
1455–1560
Wake Forest
1420–1490
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Notre DameSchool record and prep program required
  • Wake ForestRigor, GPA, and rank very important

Who's on each campus

U. Notre Dame has 1.6× as many undergrads as Wake Forest and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Notre Dame8.8K
Wake Forest5.5K
Pell Grant share
U. Notre Dame14%
Wake Forest10%

Majors and faculty

Finance leads at both; U. Notre Dame has 8 students per faculty member to Wake Forest's 10.

Students per faculty member
U. Notre Dame8 to 1
Wake Forest10 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Notre DameFinance, General14%
  • Wake ForestFinance, General11%

What each costs

U. Notre Dame costs about $14.9K less a year than Wake Forest on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Notre Dame$50.6K
Wake Forest$65.5K
Aid generosity
U. Notre Dame39%
Wake Forest25%

What each pays off

U. Notre Dame's former students earn more, a median $100K ten years after enrolling; both graduate at least 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Notre Dame$100K
Wake Forest$78.2K
Graduation rate
U. Notre Dame96%
Wake Forest90%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Notre DameGrowing+67%
  • Wake ForestGrowing+68%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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