Wake Forest University is a private research university with a reputation on the upswing. In line with trends across higher education, Wake Forest has become more difficult to get into with each admission cycle. And yes, this goes for the school’s various Early round applicants (Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Early Action), despite the admissions advantage that is conferred to these strategic students who take it upon themselves to demonstrate interest in attending Wake Forest and thus make themselves desirable to admissions officers at this highly selective college.

Early Decision I and II applicants, in particular, are highly prized by WFU admissions officers because they’ve bound themselves to attending the school if admitted, which conveys a level of enthusiasm and a commitment to making the most out of their time on campus, rewarded with an easier time getting in. But just how much of an advantage are we talking about? You’ve come to the right place to find out!

Wake Forest Early Decision Acceptance Rate Over 14+ Years

So, here’s the scoop. Wake Forest has been transparent about the combined Early Decision I and Early Decision II acceptance rate… up through the Class of 2025. After that, they stopped reporting ED admissions statistics in their Common Data Set. Moreover, despite maintaining an Early Action program, they haven’t reported any acceptance rate data for it, in recent years or historically. 

Still, the data we do have is quite illuminating, and it paints a picture of a decreasing Early Decision acceptance rate that, despite being considerably higher than the overall acceptance rate during the same window, has become more selective over time. Take a look:

Admissions Cycle	Wake Forest University Class Year	Early Decision (ED I + II) Acceptance Rate
2025-26	Class of 2030	Not Yet Available
2024-25	Class of 2029	Not Published
2023-24	Class of 2028	Not Published
2022-23	Class of 2027	Not Published
2021-22	Class of 2026	Not Published
2020-21	Class of 2025	34%
2019-20	Class of 2024	31%
2018-19	Class of 2023	41%
2017-18	Class of 2022	44%
2016-17	Class of 2021	39%
2015-16	Class of 2020	44%
2014-15	Class of 2019	48%
2013-14	Class of 2018	46%
2012-13	Class of 2017	43%
2011-12	Class of 2016	42%
2010-11	Class of 2015	39%
2009-10	Class of 2014	42%
2008-09	Class of 2013	51%
2007-08	Class of 2012	59%

Breakdown of the Wake Forest Class of 2029 Early Decision and Early Action Admits

Considering Wake Forest hasn’t reported any recent Early round data for Ivy Coach’s prying eyes to dissect and analyze, it’s not so much of a surprise that there also is no breakdown of the most recently admitted Early cohort for the Class of 2029. We do, however, know the following demographic breakdown of the Class of 2029 as a whole (combining ED I, ED II, EA, and RD applicants), thanks to the Undergraduate Admissions website:

Female: 57%

Male: 43%

States represented: 50

Countries represented: 38

Ethnic diversity (historically underrepresented groups): 38%

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Denied Wake Forest University Applicants

If you’re deferred or denied for Wake Forest admission, you must act within hours or days of this news to reverse course to have a tangible impact on your admissions odds. Ivy Coach will equip you with the tools you need to make some lemonade out of these lemons, but you must act quickly.

First, contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For denied candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. After we’ve assessed what went wrong, we’ll help you pivot to your remaining Regular Decision applications. But this comes only after our team of former elite college admissions officers has given you a comprehensive understanding of what went wrong with your Early round application to Wake Forest University.