Quad
Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Finance, General (11% of graduates). 10 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 76% of colleges. 76% of faculty are full-time. Spends $35,708 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,332 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 47% of graduates; 42 programs in 18 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Finance, General 52.080111% 143
    Graduates in this field earn $145,996 4 years out
  2. Communication, General 09.01009.5% 127
    Graduates in this field earn $77,984 4 years out
  3. Psychology, General 42.01019.2% 122
    Graduates in this field earn $64,814 4 years out
  4. Economics, General 45.06019.1% 121
    Graduates in this field earn $98,209 4 years out
  5. Political Science and Government, General 45.10018.3% 110
    Graduates in this field earn $85,668 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Engineering, 0.0% → 3.5% of graduates since 2014–15 (46 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$146,608 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$146,608
    National median: $86,176Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 45 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Finance and Financial Management Services$145,996 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $85,944

    4 years after completion$145,996
    National median: $83,343Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $141,087 · Non-Pell: $111,935(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $19,500 · 303 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Business/Commerce, General$118,167 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $76,722

    4 years after completion$118,167
    National median: $68,407Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $74,411 · Non-Pell: $92,720(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $18,899 · 274 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Computer Science$115,493 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $75,625

    4 years after completion$115,493
    National median: $107,009Above typical

    Median federal debt: $20,549 · 116 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Economics$98,209 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $56,416

    4 years after completion$98,209
    National median: $82,686Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $84,996 · Non-Pell: $91,726(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $20,500 · 230 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college10 to 1
10 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 76% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 9.6 to 1 in its Common Data Set.

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

57%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 1% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–917414%
10–1954143%
20–2936029%
30–391109%
40–49454%
50–99151%
100+00%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Cross-registration
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in arts, computer literacy, English composition, a foreign language, history, physical education, humanities, intensive writing, math, philosophy, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty76%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$114,071

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$35,708
$35,708
← Lessmore than 95% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$218,978
$218,978
← Lessmore than 89% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Wake Forest University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)