Roanoke College vs Wake Forest University (WFU)

Roanoke College and Wake Forest University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Roanoke College, a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on undergraduate education. Wake Forest University, a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, offers a broader range of academic programs and opportunities for graduate study. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Roanoke College	Wake Forest University
Overview
Location	Salem, Virginia	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.4%	25.2%
Application fees	$30	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $80
SAT range	1080 - 1230	N/A
ACT range	22 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%
Total number of applicants	4,953	15,156
Total number of admissions given out	3,981	3,816
Admitted students who chose to enroll	465	1,412
Yield rate	11.7%	37.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$66,888	$79,886
Average net price	$27,758	$24,643
Tuition	$46,510	$58,708
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,960 Meal plan: $8,030	Room/dormitory: $10,144 Meal plan: $7,870
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,752	33.0% Average amount $53,244
Students receiving federal student loan	68.0% Average amount $5,678	17.0% Average amount $4,985
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $17,112	3.0% Average amount $32,719

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,863 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	5,472 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	N/A	3,475 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	47.6%	N/A
International students	2.2%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,540	4,152
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland North Carolina Pennsylvania New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Education History Natural Resources and Conservation Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Legal Profession Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.6%	90.2%
Dropout rate	6.9%	9.5%
Transferred out	23.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,923 Year 2: $36,938 Year 3: $48,275 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,545 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,065 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,241 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,514 Year 2: $27,476 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,889 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,147 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,496 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,311 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,873 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $169,430 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $155,438 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,143 Year 2: $96,587 Year 3: $105,398 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,169 Year 2: $80,510 Year 3: $96,761 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,086 Year 2: $76,836 Year 3: $93,939 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,098 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,902 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,076 Year 2: $65,145 Year 3: $79,400 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,533 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,702 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,731 Year 2: $60,811 Year 3: $72,065 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,100 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $70,717 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,086 Year 2: $57,411 Year 3: $65,270

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Roanoke College vs Wake Forest University (WFU)

Roanoke College

Wake Forest University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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