Steps to Becoming a Demon Deacon
We want this page to be your one-stop destination for all the information you need to experience Wake Forest and our Pro Humanitate philosophy. It will be updated regularly as you move through your final year of high school.
Admissions is about communicating—learning about you as you learn about us—and one of the best ways to keep that relationship going is to make sure you’re receiving regular updates from us.
We hope to see you soon!
Let’s get started.
Senior Checklist
Applying to college brings up a lot of questions. Wake Forest Admissions is here to help you with some guidance. Make note of the following deadlines and follow this checklist to make applying to Wake Forest a smooth process.
Fall 2024 Important Dates & Deadlines
| Event | Description | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 Admission Application | https://admissions.wfu.edu/apply/applynow/ | Fall 2025 admission applications are available. | Aug. 1 |
| Interviews | https://admissions.wfu.edu/connect/interviews/ | You may request a virtual interview (optional) after you have submitted your application for admission. You must do so within five days of submitting your application. | Early Aug. – Early Dec. |
| Video Interview Question | https://admissions.wfu.edu/connect/interviews/ | You may submit a video (optional) answering one of three prompts after you have submitted your application for admission. | Early Aug. – Jan. 8 |
| Need-Based Financial Aid Application | https://financialaid.wfu.edu/types-of-aid/need-based-aid/ | For Early Decision I applicants | Fall 2024 |
| Early Decision I | https://admissions.wfu.edu/apply/first-year/ | Application deadline if Wake Forest is your first-choice college | Nov. 15 |
| Early Action for First-Gen Students | https://admissions.wfu.edu/apply/applynow/#early-action | Early Action admissions is available for first-generation college students. | Nov. 15 |
| Merit- and Talent-Based Scholarships | https://financialaid.wfu.edu/types-of-aid/scholarships/ | Scholarship programs that recognize extraordinary achievement, leadership, and talent | Nov. 15 |
| Interview Request Deadline | https://admissions.wfu.edu/connect/interviews/ | The last day to request an optional virtual interview | Nov. 18 |
| Early Decision II | https://admissions.wfu.edu/apply/first-year/ | If you meet the ED II deadline, you will receive an admissions decision from us by February 15. | Jan. 1 |
| Regular Decision | https://admissions.wfu.edu/apply/first-year/ | Regular Decision applications are not binding, and you will receive an admissions decision from us by April 1. | Jan. 1 |
Here’s what to do next.
You have plenty to think about your senior year, and we know applying to college is going to be on your mind a lot. As you navigate your way through your final year of high school, here are a few things we encourage you to do before applying to Wake Forest:
- Sign up for our mailing list.
- Plan a campus visit.
- Attend an in-person and/or a virtual information session.
- Begin working on essay/short-answer prompts.
- Ask a teacher if they’d be willing to write a recommendation for you.
- Make sure you’re aware of all important dates and deadlines.
- Familiarize yourself with our application materials and requirements.
- Explore the Undergraduate Admissions Viewbook.
Apply
We went test-optional more than fifteen years ago, so we know options work. That’s why Wake Forest Admissions wants to give you even more. You know you best, so you’ll decide the best way to tell us the story of you.
The application will offer you choices about how to communicate your personality, perspective, and academic passions, whether it be through conceptually provocative essay questions, an interview, or a video submission.
I am applying as a(n)…
Interviews
The option to do a virtual or video interview with us will only be available to seniors who have applied for the Fall 2025 semester. Once you have applied, you are eligible to request a virtual interview with us or submit a video response.
Important: Scheduling your virtual interview
If you choose to request an interview or submit a video, you must do so within five (5) days of submitting your application.
The last day to request an optional virtual interview is: Monday, November 18, 2024.
This means that, if you submit your application between November 14 and November 18, you will have fewer than five days to request a virtual interview. Again, the last day to request a virtual interview is November 18. This deadline does not apply to video submissions. Video submissions will still be welcome after that date.
Interview FAQs
No; they are optional. They are simply another opportunity for us to get to know you better. Plenty of people will be admitted without an interview or a video submission. Again, they are not required.
After you submit your application, you may request a virtual interview. Interviews are generally 25 minutes long. We’ll ask you questions about your high school and classes, your academic interests, your most treasured books, your talents, your service work, what you think about, and what you are studying!
So before you interview, think of things you want to make sure we know about you. This is your chance. Think about what you are most proud of, most energized by, most concerned about, most looking forward to about the future. Try to work those things into your interview responses. We always end our interviews with, “What have we forgotten to ask you that you need to tell me?” And happily, the response is usually, “Not a thing. You got it.”
Check out our blog where we give you steps in the right direction!
Plain and simple: we interview and invite video submissions because we want to know as much about you as possible in the admissions process.
And not just what’s on your transcript or your recommendation letters or the essay that may have had some editorial suggestions from Mom or your English teacher.
Wake Forest is a place that values intellectual curiosity, character, community, inclusion, and open-mindedness, and, in the course of our virtual-interview conversations or our video-essay question, we’re going to explore that.
We want to hear from students who can speak about their intellectual interests!
Campus Tours
We welcome you to our campus! Many Wake Forest graduates say it was when they first visited campus that they knew this school was their first choice. It’s a wonderful experience to walk the Magnolia Quad, visit Wait Chapel, and speak with the faculty, staff, and students that make Wake Forest the special community that it is.
I’m interested in a…
Affordability
We should talk about money. It’s a difficult conversation, but, when it comes to college, it’s unavoidable. College is expensive. So let’s talk about that. Sooner rather than later.
First of all, Wake Forest is committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need with a combination of grants, scholarships, work study, and loans. We are committed to making a Wake Forest education accessible.
2024-25 Cost of Attendance: $91,266*
*Estimated. Includes: Tuition, housing, food, books, expenses, and other fees.
Need help determining your eligibility for need-based aid? Try using our Net Price Calculator to help you with that. Wake Forest also offers merit-based scholarships, which are very selective, but we encourage you to learn more about them to see if you’re a good fit.
If you have questions, reach out to our Student Financial Aid office. They will be happy to assist you!
Information Sessions
A liberal-arts education is about freedom. And we want to offer you the freedom to choose a number—or all!—of our online information sessions, featuring voices from throughout Wake Forest’s campus. Please take a look below for more information on our online offerings.
I’d like to learn more about…
Advice & Guidance
Advice for those applying Early Decision
For students who apply Early Decision I, you should receive your admissions decision at the end of the following month; however, it’s important that you heed this guidance from Associate Dean Thomas Ray.
Advice for prospective applicants
One parent recently asked us what good advice we had for her rising senior in high school. Here was our advice for her—and for you:
- don’t specialize too much academically in high school; explore all subjects with equal fervor and see how they connect,
- be sure to maintain academic rigor in your senior year,
- visit college campuses of all kinds—whether in person or virtually—just for the exposure,
- do something productive, constructive, and engaging during your school breaks, while, of course, taking time to relax, recharge, and read, and
- start thinking about what teachers you will ask for recommendation letters.
Words of Advice
I am so glad you are considering Wake Forest University, and I hope you are giving us serious consideration! If you come to Wake Forest, you will embark upon one of the most exhilarating experiences of your life. To that end, I want to offer some useful advice for your senior year of high school.
For seniors interested in Wake Forest, I would start by advising you to make the most of your final year by getting involved in any extracurricular activities or completing any certifications offered at your high school. This allows for admissions representatives to get a fuller understanding of you, your interests, and how you can be an asset to their college campus. Advanced Placement (AP) classes are also great ways of getting credits before college and give you the opportunity to get ahead in divisional requirements, and they also show your commitment to academic rigor.
If you have submitted an application to Wake Forest, I would definitely suggest choosing to participate in an interview – whether video or virtual – as the next part of your admissions process. Having a conversation with a member of the Wake Forest admissions team gives the opportunity to share more about yourself, your academic interests, and what makes you engaged by the university. Interviews help to bring your application to life as you are able to make an impression beyond your essays and Common or Coalition Application.
And speaking of that application, remember that Wake Forest is a university, so try to frame your responses, whether in the main or supplemental essays, in terms of your genuine intellectual curiosity. Admissions representatives want to know you, but remember the life of the intellect is always at the top of their minds. (This advice holds true for your video or virtual interviews too.)
Finally, I would advise you to demonstrate as much interest as possible! Getting in touch with and creating a relationship with your local Wake Forest admissions representative is a terrific way of doing so and something I found really helpful during my admissions process. I was able to continually demonstrate my enthusiasm for being a part of the WFU Class of 2027 throughout the year and communicate any further accomplishments I had achieved or leadership positions I had filled after submitting my application.
I’m so glad you are considering applying – or maybe have already applied to Wake Forest! I can tell you from experience that Wake Forest will help you to find your passions and prepare you to lead a life of meaning and purpose.
Go Deacs!
Admissions Blog
Let’s start with your getting to know us – and our getting to know you. Our blog shares information about our application questions, optional interviews and video submissions, and admissions procedures. We then let you know all the ways you can share with us your talents and accomplishments, thoughts and ideas, and motivations.
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