Graduates of Wake Forest University earn median 4-year earnings of $92,943, placing the institution in the 93.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,791 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Wake Forest University in the 85.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Wake Forest University #40 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Wake Forest University's concentration in Business. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 154 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $118,167, representing 1.7× the national benchmark for the field. Finance and Political Science follow as substantial cohorts, with Political Science graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $85,668 at 1.4× the benchmark. Communication and Media Studies and Economics round out the top programs, with Communication and Media Studies graduates earning $77,984 and Economics graduates earning $98,209. This program-level diversity supports consistent long-term earnings growth across Wake Forest University's graduate cohort.
Graduates of Wake Forest University earn median 4-year earnings of $92,943, placing the institution in the 93.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,791 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Wake Forest University in the 85.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Wake Forest University #40 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Wake Forest University's concentration in Business. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 154 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $118,167, representing 1.7× the national benchmark for the field. Finance and Political Science follow as substantial cohorts, with Political Science graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $85,668 at 1.4× the benchmark. Communication and Media Studies and Economics round out the top programs, with Communication and Media Studies graduates earning $77,984 and Economics graduates earning $98,209. This program-level diversity supports consistent long-term earnings growth across Wake Forest University's graduate cohort.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Wake Forest University earn median 4-year earnings of $92,943, placing the institution in the 93.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,791 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Wake Forest University in the 85.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Wake Forest University #40 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Wake Forest University's concentration in Business. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 154 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $118,167, representing 1.7× the national benchmark for the field. Finance and Political Science follow as substantial cohorts, with Political Science graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $85,668 at 1.4× the benchmark. Communication and Media Studies and Economics round out the top programs, with Communication and Media Studies graduates earning $77,984 and Economics graduates earning $98,209. This program-level diversity supports consistent long-term earnings growth across Wake Forest University's graduate cohort.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Wake Forest University's program mix is anchored in social sciences, business, and professional fields — a portfolio shaped by the institution's liberal arts identity and Salem's regional economy. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 154 graduates, followed by Finance, Political Science, Communication and Media Studies, and Economics. The institution offers 31 programs across 1,532 students annually, with 13 programs meeting Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in applied professional fields. Finance graduates earn median earnings of $145,996 four years after enrollment with 147 graduates, while Business/Commerce, General delivers $118,167 with 154 graduates. Computer Science and Economics follow with median earnings of $115,493 and $98,209 respectively, reflecting the institution's strength in fields with direct labor-market pathways. Among the most popular majors, Business/Commerce, General graduates earn $118,167, while Political Science and Communication and Media Studies earn $85,668 and $77,984 respectively. Wake Forest University's program distribution reflects a liberal arts emphasis on Business (22%), Social Sciences (20%), and Engineering (3%), positioning graduates for careers in education, public service, business, and professional fields. Many of these pathways — particularly in Business and education-adjacent fields — support both direct workforce entry and graduate-school-dependent trajectories where four-year earnings reflect early-career outcomes before advanced degree completion. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these program families align with regional and national labor-market trends.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Wake Forest University earn median 4-year earnings of $92,943, placing the institution in the 93.5 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,791 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Wake Forest University in the 85.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Wake Forest University #40 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Wake Forest University's concentration in Business. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 154 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $118,167, representing 1.7× the national benchmark for the field. Finance and Political Science follow as substantial cohorts, with Political Science graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $85,668 at 1.4× the benchmark. Communication and Media Studies and Economics round out the top programs, with Communication and Media Studies graduates earning $77,984 and Economics graduates earning $98,209. This program-level diversity supports consistent long-term earnings growth across Wake Forest University's graduate cohort.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
