Return is the strongest pillar at Wake Forest University, landing at the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings figure sits at $92,943 four years after completion.
That is at the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $24,693 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.
Graduates earn about $8,836 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the gap at the 81st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,210.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,374. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,534.
The median early-career paycheck at Wake Forest University is $92,943 for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled four years after completion. The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That median sits $24,693 above the peer median of $68,250. Graduates earn about $8,836 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 81st percentile.
That median lands in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawn from 945 completers. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $57,872 on the downside to $131,137 on the upside, with $92,943 as the typical outcome.
An estimated 34.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The four-year earnings figure reflects only the wage-earning path.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $92,943. That places Wake Forest University at the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $68,250, so the median here runs $24,693 above it. Graduates earn about $8,836 more than the model expects for similar students.
That puts the gap at the 81st percentile. Azimuth ranks the university #40 for return.
The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,210. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,374.
Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,534. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $57,872 to an upside of $131,137.
An estimated 34.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.
The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: from $57,872 on the downside to $131,137 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.
At the higher end, Management Science graduates earn $146,608 four years after completion, from 18 degrees awarded a year. Finance follows at $145,996, with 147 degrees awarded.
Graduates earn about $8,836 more than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 81st percentile.
Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $21,500 in federal student loans, $2,699 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $30,000 in Parent PLUS loans. Earnings are above the model's expectation and the peer median, while debt is below the peer median.
A family weighing Wake Forest University should look closely at the net price for their income band. The published cost of attendance is high and affordability is the weakest of the four pillars.