Wake Forest University was founded in 1834 and got its name from the town in which it was originally founded, Wake Forest, North Carolina.
This private university moved to its current location, Winston-Salem, NC, in 1956, where it sits on a campus of 340 acres.
Approximately 5,472 undergraduate students and 3,478 graduate students currently attend Wake Forest and study under its seven colleges and schools.
Through its colleges and schools, the university offers 45 undergraduate majors and 60 minors while maintaining a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
The U.S News and World Report ranked Wake Forest University number 29 in the nation overall, and the report placed the school at number 23 for best value nationally and at number 21 for the best national undergraduate instruction.
Some of the notable alumni of Wake Forest are professional golfer Arnold Palmer, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, and former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich.
With such an impressive body of alumni and the school’s highly competitive rankings across the country, many students find Wake Forest University to be an excellent choice to either begin or complete their secondary education.
Whether matriculating from high school or transferring to the university mid-way through a degree, Wake Forest has much to offer any student.
Wake Forest University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Collegetransfer.org reports that Wake Forest University accepts about 20% of the transfer applications submitted to the school’s admissions department. This figure was sourced from Wake Forest University’s common data set for the 21-22 application year.
Wake Forest requires that any student wishing to attend the university who has graduated high school and taken any college coursework at all must apply as a transfer student.
The school welcomes transfer students and reports that more students are admitted as transfers in the fall than in the spring semester.
Reasons for transferring to Wake Forest University will vary from one student to another. Some students may have completed the courses available to them in their field of interest at a junior college, while others may be interested in the history and traditions of this small rural university.
Still, others may wish to transfer into the school after bringing up their grades at a different college that may have also been less expensive for them.
Those who have already completed a bachelor’s degree at another institution, but who now wish to change careers and pursue another undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University are required to apply as transfer students as well.
Application Requirements & GPA for Wake Forest Transfer Students
Wake Forest requires that students wishing to transfer to the school must have a C average for all previous coursework taken or attempted at the college level.
That being said, almost certainly, all accepted students into Wake Forest have a better grade than a “C.”
The school further requires that transfer students have graduated from a junior college or be able to provide a certificate of honorable dismissal, which attests that the student was fully eligible to attend the previous college.
The university further requires that transfer applicants submit transcripts from any and all colleges previously attended as well as a Dean’s Statement for Transfer Students, or the equivalent in the Common Application, from all previous colleges.
If an applicant is a foreign student wishing to transfer into Wake Forest University, they may be required to submit TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo results to certify their level of English comprehension.
The school’s website directs transfer students to apply for admission by using its Wake Forest Application form, and the entire application process can be completed online. Students who wish to submit their application by mail may do so after printing out all forms and completing them.
Transfer students applying for admission into Wake Forest should begin collecting the necessary letters and documents early in order to be able to meet the school’s application deadlines.
Wake Forest Transfer Deadline
Wake Forest allows transfer students to apply for admission for both the spring and fall semesters, and the deadlines for doing so are November 1 for entry into the spring semester and March 15 for entry into the fall semester.
Students considering transferring to Wake Forest should remember that the school reports that more students are admitted for the fall semester than the spring semester.
Wake Forest’s website notes that a student’s previous coursework is subject to review by the relevant chair of the department for which a student seeks credit. A transfer student may be required to complete additional courses before credit is awarded for previous classes.
Students should be aware that Wake Forest only awards credit for courses completed at U.S. colleges or universities that are fully accredited by the appropriate regional accreditation body.
Furthermore, certain departments at Wake Forest will not grant credit for courses completed at colleges that are focused only on awarding degrees at the associate level.
Given the time it may require for a prospective transfer student to verify that their previous college-level work will be recognized by Wake Forest and its various academic departments, students should mark their calendars with the application deadline and begin the application and verification process with plenty of time to spare.
What Is the Decision Date for Wake Forest Transfer Students?
Since Wake Forest University allows transfer students to apply for admission for both the spring and fall semesters, transfer students should mark their calendars for the middle of December if they are applying for the spring semester or the middle of May if they are applying for admittance in the fall semester.
While a student is waiting to receive the school’s admission decision, they should continue to excel in all courses they are taking and consider whether or not Wake Forest will award credit for the courses they have already completed.
Transfer students who wish to seek federal or need-based financial aid must submit the FAFSA and/or complete the CSS profile by the deadline for the semester they are applying for admission.
Suppose a transfer student chooses to apply for financial aid. In that case, they can expect to learn whether or not they will have it awarded shortly after they receive notification of their acceptance into Wake Forest.
If a student has submitted all of the necessary documentation with their financial aid application by the priority deadline of February 1, they can expect to learn of the decision by the first part of June.
While the waiting period for a decision on acceptance or financial aid may be stressful, students should bear in mind that the process will be worth it upon approval to study at this historic university.
Deciding Whether You Should Apply to Wake Forest As a Transfer Student
Choosing the correct college or university to attend can be a difficult decision for many people.
With the increasing costs of tuition and the potential prospect of having to move to another state and leave behind family and friends, students must weigh the pros and cons of each institution carefully before making their final choice.
Many students will find this small, private institution of higher learning in rural Appalachia an attractive option when they consider its national rankings and small class sizes that generally have a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Wake Forest University reports that the cost of tuition and fees for students living on or off campus as
$62,128 for the 2022-2023 academic year. When adding the other costs of attendance to the school’s tuition and fees, Wake Forest estimates the totals costs as $83,054.
While the estimated annual cost of attendance may be daunting at first, potential transfer students should keep in mind that they may qualify for various forms of financial aid and scholarships that can significantly reduce the amount they must pay. Collegesimply.com reports that the average net annual cost of attending Wake Forest was $26,324 for the 2019 to 2020 academic year.
Recap: How To Apply to Wake Forest As a Transfer Student
In order to have a competitive chance of being admitted into Wake Forest University as a transfer student, applicants must make sure that they have at least a C average for all courses they have completed or attempted at their first college or university.
Transfer students are also required to certify that they have graduated from a junior college or submit a certificate from all previously attended colleges or universities which permits them to be dismissed honorably from the institution and fully eligible to attend the school.
Transfer applicants must further submit transcripts from all colleges they have attended and a Dean’s Statement for Transfer Students or its equivalent in the Common Application.
Wake Forest University allows transfer students to apply for admission into both the spring and fall semesters.
For students who wish to apply for admission into the spring semester of classes, they need to submit their applications by the 1st of November and can expect to receive the university’s admission decision by the middle of December.
Students who wish to apply for admission into the fall semester of classes must submit their applications by the 15th of March, and they can expect to learn whether or not they will be admitted to the university by the middle of May. The deadlines for submission of financial aid applications are the same as the deadlines for applications into the spring and fall semesters, although the school does have a priority financial aid application deadline of the 1st of February.
