10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$116,694at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC · 26 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 24 · Federal debt reported for 13
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$116,694 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
7.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+40%Estimated return after 10 years
$86,157Observed earnings · year 5
$57,893Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $29,174 per year below this threshold.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $18,494 housing and food allowance plus $3,386 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$231,570
$16,000Annual price+$167,570
$29,000Current college-wide context+$115,570
$32,000Annual price+$103,570
$48,000Annual price+$39,570
$64,000Annual price−$24,430
$80,000Annual price−$88,430
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in North Carolina run 6% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$28,719Average net price / year
$87,499Cost of attendance
$21,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$228/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$86,157Median earnings · year 5 after completion
89.1%Completion rate
21.7%Admission rate
1,475Average SAT score
5,485Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Wake Forest University
What does Wake Forest University cost?
Wake Forest University reports an average annual net price of $28,719 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Wake Forest University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $86,157 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Wake Forest University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $21,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Wake Forest University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 26 field-and-degree records for Wake Forest University; 24 report year-4 earnings and 13 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
10,229Students enrolled at any point
5,691Undergraduate students
4,538Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
95% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
174 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
84% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$75,967Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$71,289Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$85,256Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income84%
Middle income85%
Higher income91%
Undergraduate student composition
White65%
Black6%
Hispanic10%
Asian5%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$52,635Year 1
$92,943Year 4
$86,157Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$221,0282Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods · Bachelor's Degree$146,6083Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's Degree$145,9964Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$135,6775Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Master's Degree$127,2976Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods · Master's Degree$127,0727Medicine · First Professional Degree$119,0308Business/Commerce, General · Bachelor's Degree$118,167Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree · $221,028 reported+84%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree · $145,996 reported+75%vs same-degree national median$19,500federal debt3Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $118,167 reported+73%vs same-degree national median$18,899federal debt4Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's Degree · $146,608 reported+70%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $77,847 reported+60%vs same-degree national median$19,500federal debt6LawMaster's Degree · $102,929 reported+58%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in NC
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Durham, NC
Duke University
- Annual net price
- $29,612
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $104,271
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +99%
Queens University of Charlotte
- Annual net price
- $30,857
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,181
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -50%
Elon University
- Annual net price
- $41,555
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $70,407
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -27%
Davidson College
- Annual net price
- $17,379
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $64,801
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -21%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 26 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $221,028 | Not available | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $146,608 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $145,996 | $19,500 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $135,677 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Master's Degree | $127,297 | Not available | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Master's Degree | $127,072 | Not available | Not reported |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $119,030 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $118,167 | $18,899 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $116,679 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $115,493 | $20,674 | Not reported |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $112,646 | Not available | Not reported |
| Law | Master's Degree | $102,929 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $98,209 | $20,927 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $85,668 | $23,133 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $79,599 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $77,984 | $22,250 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $77,847 | $19,500 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Master's Degree | $73,476 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $64,814 | $21,500 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $63,292 | $22,612 | Not reported |
| Theological and Ministerial Studies | Master's Degree | $62,158 | Not available | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $60,875 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $60,635 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $57,982 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $22,250 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,000 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.