To Rising Seniors: Early Decision and You

Where did the summer go?! It seems that just yesterday we were celebrating our newest Wake Forest graduates and inviting a new class of students to join us in Winston-Salem—yet my colleagues and I now find ourselves thinking about the fall. 

As these summer days continue to fly by, I write to share a bit of information about changes to our Early Decision admissions process.

One of the key differences between applying Early Decision and Regular Decision is that you receive your decision early! No surprises there… But this year, the timing at which you will receive that decision is changing. 

For students who apply Early Decision I, you should receive your admissions decision at the end of the following month. It’s important to note, though, that your application will not be evaluated until it is complete. “What does it mean for an application to be ‘complete’?” you ask. For us, it means that we have received all required parts of your application: your application for admission, transcript, school report, and recommendations. 

There are optional components that will only be required according to the preferences that you share with us: standardized test scores (e.g. SAT/ACT), the writing supplement, virtual interview, or video submission. 

As a reminder: students need to apply to Wake Forest first; then they will receive instructions for requesting a virtual interview or submitting a video. If you are considering completing a virtual interview or submitting a video (responding to one of our three prompts), please be aware that you have FIVE days from application submission to submit a virtual interview request or your video interview. If we have not heard from you by then, we will move forward with evaluating your application without an interview or video. So please plan accordingly! 

Let’s consider a few scenarios as instructive examples: 

• You submit your application for admission (which includes an optional writing supplement) in mid-August, and we receive all your application materials the following week. You would receive your admissions decision at the end of September. 
• You submit your application and application materials in late August, and later submit your request to interview; however, you don’t complete that interview until early September. You would receive your admissions decision at the end of October. 
• You submit your application and application materials in late September. You submit your video in early October. You would receive your decision in late November. 

(This list isn’t meant to be exhaustive, but I hope it gives you a sense of how we plan to release decisions.) 

Now, there will be some situations when there is a delay in receiving your admissions decision. This could be because we need more information from you or need more information about the applicant pool. In either case, you should always expect decisions to be released at the end of each month. 

And lastly, for students who might be considering Early Decision II, there have been no changes to how or when we will release decisions. Students apply by January 1 and should expect to receive their admissions decision around February 15. The same applies to Regular Decision. You will apply by January 1 and hear from us around April 1. 

I hope this is all helpful information as you continue to plan for the Wake Forest admissions process. If you have any questions, please be in touch by writing to admissions@wfu.edu or your regional dean.

Enjoy your summer! 

Thomas Ray
Associate Dean of Admissions
Wake Forest University