Decisions Update: Early Decision I Results and Looking Ahead to ED II

Recently, we turned an important page in the annual calendar: the release of our final admissions decisions for the Early Decision I application round. (A brief, but necessary, practical note: if you have not yet received word, please double-check your status portal.)

To those among you who have been welcomed into the Wake Forest Class of 2030, a profound and hearty congratulations! You have joined a group of earnest seekers, and we are already so excited for the intellectual journeys you will undertake here on our campus.

To those deferred, please know that this is not a final closing of the book but a pause for us to learn more as the next semester unfolds. We invite you to stay in touch with our office.

And to those who received news that was perhaps disappointing, we extend our sincerest well wishes. May your remaining college search bring you to a place where you will thrive and discover your fundamental mission.

We are already deeply impressed by the students who have claimed their spot in the Class of 2030, but the work is far from done. We now eagerly turn our attention to the applications submitted for our unique Early Action round, a vital, bespoke path intended specifically for first-generation college students.

While Early Decision I (ED I) often receives the most fanfare when it comes to our early application options, we want to take a moment to highlight its compelling counterpart: Early Decision II (ED II). If – like so many bright students over the years who have come to recognize their true academic home a little late – an applicant decides after November 15 that Wake Forest is their absolute top choice, this application round is designed precisely for them.

• Like ED I, an offer of admission in the ED II round is binding, a serious commitment of the heart and mind.
• The difference lies in the next steps: in ED II, if an applicant is not offered admission, they would be placed on the waitlist rather than deferred. Of course, there remains the possibility of a non-admission decision.
• A final procedural point: ED II decisions are released all at once, not on a rolling basis.

If you have not yet applied to Wake Forest, we will continue to accept applications for ED II through the first day of the New Year, January 1, 2026. And for those who applied via Regular Decision but have since had a profound realization, you may yet switch to ED II! Simply sign and return the Early Decision Agreement. This can be done through your application status portal or by sending an email directly to admissions@wfu.edu.

Please make a note: admissions decisions for our ED II applicants will be released in mid-February.

We look forward to reading your stories. 

Warmest regards,
Wake Forest University Office of Undergraduate Admissions

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