Wake Forest University application deadlines for Fall 2027
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest University's next deadline is Wake Forest merit and talent scholarship consideration deadline on November 15, 2026. All 9 dates are checked against Wake Forest University's own pages, and each one links to the page it came from. The financial aid deadline is often weeks before the application deadline, so check both.
- Cost of attendance
- $98,730
- published for 2026‑27
- Admitted
- 22%
- of applicants
- Undergraduates
- 5,485
What families actually pay
Average paid after grants and scholarships, by family income. The full bar is the sticker price.
- Under $30k$6,525
- $30k – 48k$6,331
- $48k – 75k$7,647
- $75k – 110k$12,771
- $110k and up$58,081
U.S. Department of Education figures for 2024‑25. An average, not a quote: what you pay depends on your own aid offer.
Admission and enrolment figures are the U.S. Department of Education's for 2024‑25. Confirm anything you are deciding on with the school.
- Scholarshipsin about 2 months
Wake Forest merit and talent scholarship consideration deadline
To be considered for Wake Forest's merit and talent based scholarships, your complete admissions application has to be in by November 15, even if you were otherwise planning to apply Regular Decision on January 1. Most of these awards, including the full-cost ones, don't need a separate application, so submitting early is the whole action. The Presidential Scholarship for Distinguished Achievement, which recognizes talent in areas like art, music, theatre, dance, debate, and writing, has its own application with the same November 15 priority date.
If you miss it: Apply after November 15 and you're simply not reviewed for merit scholarships, no matter how strong you are. That can be tens of thousands of dollars a year, and it's the single most common way strong applicants lose money at Wake Forest.
- Early Decisionin about 2 months
Wake Forest Early Decision I application deadline
This is Wake Forest's binding early round. If you apply ED I and get in, you're committing to enroll and to withdraw your applications everywhere else, so only use it if Wake Forest is genuinely your first choice. You'll need the Early Decision Agreement signed by you, a parent, and your counselor on top of the regular application. Decisions come out on a rolling basis through the fall rather than all on one day.
If you miss it: Miss it and your only remaining binding option is ED II on January 1. You also lose the higher admit rate that ED I typically carries and the chance to have your answer before winter.
- Early Actionin about 2 months
Wake Forest Early Action deadline (first-generation students only)
Wake Forest's Early Action round is open only to first-generation college students, meaning neither of your parents completed a four-year degree. It's non-binding, so you get an early answer by January 15 without having to commit, and you still have until May 1 to decide. If you're eligible, this is close to a free option and worth taking.
If you miss it: If you're first-generation and miss this, you lose a non-binding early answer and get pushed into the January 1 Regular Decision pool, where you won't hear back until around April 1.
- Financial aidin about 2 months
Wake Forest need-based aid priority filing date (Early Decision I and Early Action)
If you're applying Early Decision I or first-generation Early Action, this is when your FAFSA, CSS Profile, and tax documents need to be in. It's roughly two weeks AFTER the November 15 application deadline, so don't assume you're done once the application is submitted. File by this date and Wake Forest expects to send your aid notification starting December 15, which matters enormously with ED I since you're bound to enroll and want the aid number before that commitment hardens.
If you miss it: File late and you may be committed to a binding ED I offer without knowing what you'll pay. Applications are reviewed in the order received, so late filers risk delayed notification and less time to appeal.
- CSS Profilein about 3 months
Wake Forest CSS Profile deadline
Wake Forest requires the CSS Profile, not just the FAFSA, to award its own need-based scholarship money, and the school code is 5885. It's free if your family income is up to $100,000; Wake Forest does not give individual fee waivers beyond that. If your parents are separated or divorced, both parents have to file separate CSS Profiles, and you'll also need to upload tax documents to the College Board's IDOC service within about two weeks of filing.
If you miss it: No CSS Profile means no Wake Forest institutional grant money, which is where nearly all of the need-based aid at a $98,730 school comes from. The divorced-parent second filing is a common trap: your application can't be processed until the other parent's Profile arrives.
- Early Decision IIin about 3 months
Wake Forest Early Decision II application deadline
ED II is a second binding early round for students who weren't ready by November 15 or who were deferred or denied somewhere else. It's the same commitment as ED I: if Wake Forest admits you, you enroll. You'll have your answer by February 15, which is well before most Regular Decision results.
If you miss it: Miss it and you can still apply Regular Decision on the same date, but you give up the ED II admissions advantage and won't hear back until around April 1.
- Regular Decisionin about 3 months
Wake Forest Regular Decision application deadline
This is the standard, non-binding deadline for everyone else. You apply through the Common Application, the Coalition Application powered by Scoir, or Wake Forest's own printed application, and you'll get a decision by around April 1. Test scores are optional and only reviewed if you tell them to consider them.
If you miss it: Miss it and you're out of the fall 2027 first-year class entirely. There's no late or rolling first-year round at Wake Forest.
- Financial aidin about 3 months
Wake Forest need-based aid priority filing date (Early Decision II and Regular Decision)
If you're applying ED II or Regular Decision, your FAFSA, CSS Profile, and tax documents are due the same day as the application itself. Wake Forest promises to meet the full demonstrated financial need of regularly admitted students, but only if the paperwork is in and processed. Regular Decision aid notifications go out in early April, about three to four weeks before you have to decide.
If you miss it: Applications are reviewed in the order received, so filing late can push your aid notification past the point where you can compare offers or appeal. Late filing can also mean you don't have an aid number before the May 1 enrollment decision date.
- Depositin about 7 months
Wake Forest enrollment deposit and reply date
Once you're admitted, this is the day you have to accept your offer and put down the non-refundable tuition deposit to hold your seat. For the prior cycle that deposit was $1,500. After you deposit you can apply for on-campus housing, which all first-year students are required to live in, and that application has its own deadline in early June.
If you miss it: Miss the deposit date and you can lose your admission offer and your seat in the class. You'd also fall behind on housing, which opens only after your deposit is in.
Last checked against Wake Forest University's own pages on . We re-read every source page weekly, and a date that stops appearing on it is pulled from this list rather than left standing.
Common questions about Wake Forest University
When is the Wake Forest University application deadline for Fall 2027?
January 1, 2027, for Wake Forest Regular Decision application deadline. Miss it and you're out of the fall 2027 first-year class entirely.
When is Wake Forest University's Wake Forest merit and talent scholarship consideration deadline?
November 15, 2026. Apply after November 15 and you're simply not reviewed for merit scholarships, no matter how strong you are.
When is Wake Forest University's Wake Forest Early Decision I application deadline?
November 15, 2026. Miss it and your only remaining binding option is ED II on January 1.
When is Wake Forest University's Wake Forest Early Action deadline (first-generation students only)?
November 15, 2026. If you're first-generation and miss this, you lose a non-binding early answer and get pushed into the January 1 Regular Decision pool, where you won't hear back until around April 1.
When is Wake Forest University's Wake Forest need-based aid priority filing date (Early Decision I and Early Action)?
December 1, 2026. File late and you may be committed to a binding ED I offer without knowing what you'll pay.
How much does Wake Forest University cost?
About $98,730 a year for 2026-27, the published sticker price before any aid.
How hard is it to get into Wake Forest University?
Wake Forest University admits about 22% of applicants.
How many students go to Wake Forest University?
Around 5,485 undergraduates.
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