Scholarship Programs

Wake Forest’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers merit scholarships to fewer than 3% of first-year applicants.

Most scholarships (including the full-cost of attendance Signature Scholarships) do not require a scholarship application, but only a completed admission application by November 15. Finalists for scholarships that require comprehensive interviews or auditions are notified by April.

Merit scholarship programs recognize extraordinary achievement, leadership, and talent. Recipients since 1986 have subsequently earned international and national honors including thirteen Rhodes Scholarships, three Marshall Scholarships, twelve Truman Scholarships, over ninety Fulbright Scholars, and other honors including Gates, Goldwater, Beinecke, and Luce. The Wake Forest Scholars Office provides profiles of selected previous merit scholarship recipients.

Most merit-based scholarships require recipients to maintain full-time enrollment status and on-campus housing.

Some merit-based scholarships also require financial need. A family can estimate financial need by using the Net Price Calculator.

Applicants who believe they might qualify for need-based aid should apply by January 1. Most scholarships at Wake Forest consider financial need as a recipient selection criterion. Separate applications are not required, as recipients are selected based on data from the admission applications and the FAFSA® and CSS Profile® applications.

Wake Forest offers many need-based scholarships from its own funds and from gifts provided by generous individual and corporate donors. Careful internal procedures identify and select recipients so that separate applications are not required.

Please email scholarships@wfu.edu with questions.


Merit Scholarship Program Descriptions

Merit Scholarships for first-year applicants include the Signature Scholarships (full-cost of attendance), other scholarships that require an additional application or materials, and additional scholarships that do not require any additional application or materials. First-year applicants are also automatically considered for scholarships that are available to all students.

Signature scholarships

Scholarships requiring an additional application or materials

Scholarships for Continuing Students

If you are a continuing student, available scholarships can be found on the Scholarships for Continuing Students page.