International Applicants

Wake Forest has a vibrant, active campus, and most students find that they prefer to live in university’s residence halls, townhouses, or student apartments for their entire tenure at Wake Forest. For the first three years students are required to live in residence halls, which are coeducational by floor. All rooms are equipped with beds, closet, desks, cable television connection, computer outlets, a microwave and a small refrigerator. Laundry facilities are available at no additional charge in or near all residence halls.

Wake Forest guarantees housing for eight semesters at the University for all undergraduates who are admitted as resident students. During the first year, roommates are assigned by the Office of Residence Life and Housing based upon a questionnaire submitted by each student which evaluates a number of factors, including compatibility and common interests. After the first year, students may select with whom they live and where through the Residence Life and Housing room selection process.

Our Center for Global Programs & Studies (GPS) offers a variety of activities, programs and resources to support the international students on campus, especially those sponsored by Wake Forest on an F or J visa.

The calendar of events for international students may include bi-monthly social gatherings, day excursions, a fall break and/or spring break trip, and a variety of informational sessions addressing topics such as Greek life, North Carolina law and preparing for internships. There are a variety of campus organizations that cater specifically to international student interests including The Globe and Chinese Student & Scholar Association (CSSA) to name a few.

International students also have the opportunity to participate in the Friendship Family program. Local families are matched with students to offer a perspective on U.S. culture outside the walls of Wake Forest. Families may include students in routine dinners or activities as well as special events such as attending a festival, taking a day trip or participating in holiday traditions.

GPS keeps students informed about important information and social/cultural events through a bi-monthly e-newsletter. Additionally, dedicated international student advisors are readily available to talk with students regarding any questions or concerns. The international community at Wake Forest is relatively small yet helps create a rich global presence on campus.

Yes! At Wake Forest, the problem is not finding an organization to get involved with; it’s trying to decide which ones to join!

There are 265 different organizations on campus, and all of them give students the opportunity to meet other students with common interests. We have cultural organizations, sports clubs, academic and service fraternities, religious societies, political groups, and debate teams.

Since all of our organizations are entirely student run, if for some reason you cannot find an organization that appeals to you, the university encourages you to start your own and even offers funding. With Wake Forest’s vibrant and active student body, new and different student groups are forming all the time.

The Wake Forest University Police Department is committed to providing a safe and secure educational and working environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors. Wake Forest has its own professionally trained police force that patrols the campus frequently in cars, bicycles, and by foot.

In the evening, there is a Shuttle Service provided for all students that can be called to transport students from one campus location to another free of charge until 3:00am. After 10 p.m., security guards are posted at vehicle entrances to restrict access to campus for people not associated with Wake Forest.

Emergency phones are located throughout the campus. These call boxes connect directly to the University police with a press of a button. The University Police also offer an extensive series of special services, educational and personal safety programs, such as self-defense classes, an annual crime report, and security panels to help maintain the utmost safety and security on campus.

North Carolina’s temperature and climate is as diverse as its geography. The lower eastern elevation of the Atlantic coast is generally 11C (20F) warmer than the higher western elevation of the Appalachian Mountains. Wake Forest University is located in the central region of the state, where the climate is temperate and mild. In winter, the temperature is fairly moderate in the central and eastern parts of North Carolina, around 10C (50F) and 4.36 centimeters (1.72 inches) of snow.

In spring, the storm systems that bring cold weather southward reach North Carolina less often and less forcefully, and temperatures begin to modify. The rise in average temperatures is greater in May than in any other month, generally warming up to 25C (77F). Spring has the lowest amount of humidity.

Summers are warm and humid, around 32C (90F) with periods of heavy rain throughout the summer and early fall.

Wake Forest’s hometown, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a culturally rich mid-size city in the Piedmont Triad area of one of the nation’s most progressive states. With a population of 242,000, Winston-Salem has consistently built resources in the arts, medicine, health care research, education and commerce. With neighboring cities Greensboro and High Point only thirty minutes away, there are extensive opportunities for entertainment and culture in the greater Triad area (population 1.2 million).

Located about three miles from the main campus, downtown Winston-Salem is a thriving area that includes galleries and shops; indoor and outdoor performance spaces and museums; a greenway that traverses the Old Salem district; hotels, restaurants and sidewalk cafes. The new Piedmont Triad Research Park is bringing additional resources, residents, and activities to the downtown area, with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine as one of its anchors.

The University provides an evening shuttle service to and from downtown on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from August to May.

From the campus, access to the ski areas of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains is a two-hour drive, and travel to the North Carolina and South Carolina beaches takes about four hours. A number of county and state parks are short distances from campus. For a larger city experience, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia are about a five-hour drive north and south, respectively.

The Piedmont Triad International airport is located in Greensboro (airport code GSO) and offers direct shuttle services to the Wake Forest Campus. There are also larger international airports in Charlotte (CLT) to the southwest and Raleigh (RDU) to the east that are easily accessible and offer direct flights overseas. Both cities are within an hour and a half drive by car.

Winston-Salem, recently named North Carolina’s “City of the Arts,” is alive with art galleries, music concerts, festivals, and more. Many students enjoy visiting the Reynolda Village adjacent to campus with its shops, restaurants, and gardens. Students have dinner with friends at a sidewalk café downtown and enjoy Friday night gallery hops in the arts district or watch the Winston-Salem Symphony perform. They love to participate in local cultural traditions such as a Moravian Lovefeast, the Dixie Classic Fair and the international River Run Film Festival. Students enjoy the outdoors at Salem Lake and Tanglewood Park, as well as one of our nation’s largest zoos just outside the city. No matter what you are interested in, there is always something to entertain you in Winston-Salem.