High demand for Wake Forest contrasts national ranking

Demand for a Wake Forest education is at an all-time high. “The Class of 2028 was selected from a record applicant pool of 18,735, a seven percent increase over last year,” said Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment. “Twenty-two percent of applicants were selected for admission, matching last year’s acceptance rate.”

Wake Forest is bucking a national trend. A recent Washington Post article revealed that a cross-section of well-regarded universities missed their enrollment targets by more than 20 percent.

“Students are attracted to Wake Forest because they want to be taught and mentored by faculty at the top of their fields,” said Provost Michele Gillespie. “Nearly 95% of Wake Forest’s full-time faculty have a doctoral or other terminal degree. Our talented faculty teach and produce outstanding research and scholarship that makes an impact on society. They bring that research into the classroom and embrace experiential learning. 

“Three out of every 5 undergraduate class sections have fewer than 20 students, and 99 percent of class sections have less than 50 students. Faculty really get to know our students and we know that enhances their learning experience.”

In 2023, U.S. News and World Report revised its methodology for ranking national universities, changing 17 of the 19 indicators from prior years. The aspects of a Wake Forest education most prized by students and alumni, like class size and faculty with a terminal degree, are no longer factors in the ranking methodology. On September 24, 2024, U.S. News and World Report revealed their 2024-2025 ranking of national universities, with a methodology relatively unchanged from last year. Wake Forest makes the list at No. 46.

The contrast between the increasing demand for a Wake Forest education and the rankings provides evidence of the waning influence these rankings have on the decisions of prospective students and their families. Inside Higher Ed reports on research from the Art & Science Group, a higher education consulting and research firm, that finds only about one in 10 high school students care about an institution’s particular rank.

“Wake Forest sits in an enviable spot among colleges and universities,” said President Susan R. Wente. “We have a strong culture, embodied in our Pro Humanitate ethos, that calls to those who seek to be catalysts for good. Our approach to developing students to lead with character and integrity is rooted in our liberal arts foundation and deep faculty engagement. And students love rallying around their classmates competing for national championships as members of our Division I sports teams and exceptional college debate team. 

“This unique combination of a personalized academic experience within a comprehensive, national university sets Wake Forest apart from large public universities and private colleges. Opportunities abound for mentored research, study abroad experiences, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary studies.”

As Wente and Gillespie articulated last year, the U.S. News and World Report rankings do not accurately measure the value of, nor the demand for, the transformational experience Wake Forest offers. Employers also know the value of Wake Forest. Wake Forest students consistently secure positions at top organizations and gain acceptance into prestigious graduate schools. Within six months of graduation, 97% of the Class of 2023 were employed or enrolled in graduate programs.

“I think that what happens is that employers themselves and graduate schools don’t really look at rankings because they use their own criteria to measure the quality of the candidates, not based on what some media outlet is telling you is good or not,” said Andy Chan, vice president of personal and career development.

Recognition of Wake Forest’s areas of academic strength continues to grow:

• Advocate Health, the third largest non-profit healthcare system in the U.S., has partnered with Wake Forest University School of Medicine as the system’s “academic core.”
• The U.S. National Science Foundation selected Wake Forest as one of the first-ever Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), which provides up to $160 million to partner with educational institutions and other organizations.
• Wake Forest is recognized as the national model for leadership and character development education and has received more than $43 million in the past two years from the Lilly Foundation to help other colleges and universities replicate Wake Forest’s success.
• This fall, Wake Forest’s Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability will host its inaugural conference to convene leaders in environmental stewardship from government, academia, NGOs, and the private sector to share emerging solutions to the urgent environmental crises facing our world.
• In the past three years, seven Wake Forest faculty members have won highly competitive CAREER awards, the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award for young faculty. The award is intended to provide a foundation for a lifetime of scientific leadership that integrates research and education. 

“Wake Forest University will remain committed to academic excellence to do what we do better than any university in the world,” Wente said. “That means continuing to prepare students to lead with character and integrity in the service of humanity.”

More on how Wake Forest approaches college rankings is available here.