Wake Forest University supplemental essays
Wake Forest University asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is two supplements plus the Common App personal statement: three pieces of writing in all. Early Decision closes November 15, 2026, Early Decision II closes January 1, 2027 and Regular Decision closes January 1, 2027. The prompts carry these limits: 100 words, 150 words, 300 words, and more below. Every Wake Forest University prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it, checked against the college’s own admissions page.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 15, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 1, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 1, 2027 |
Checked against admissions.wfu.edu/2026/07/wake-forest-applications-open-august-1-heres-whats-new. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 100 words
Why Wake?
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Optional (choose 1 of 4) · 150 characters per book title
Written supplement, option 1. List five books you've read that have intrigued you.
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this promptOptional (choose 1 of 4) · 150 words
Written supplement, option 2. Tell us what piques your intellectual curiosity or has helped you understand the world's complexity. This can include a work you've read, a project you've completed for a class, and even co-curricular activities in which you have been involved.
Short answer. Paste it on the homepage and we will read it.
Optional (choose 1 of 4) · 300 words
Written supplement, option 3. Dr. Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, civil-rights activist, and former Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor of American Studies, inspired others to celebrate their identities and to honor each person's dignity. Choose one of Dr. Angelou's powerful quotes. How does this quote relate to your lived experience or reflect how you plan to contribute to the Wake Forest community?
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this promptOptional (choose 1 of 4) · 100 characters per line
Written supplement, option 4. Give us your Top Ten List. (The choice of theme is yours.)
Get a free read on this essayPaste your draft, see the verdict before you pay.No draft yet? Pick a topic for this prompt
Your Wake Forest University checklist
Two supplements, one of them required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 15, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- Supplement 1Required100 words
- Supplements 2 to 5Optional
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Not sure what a review is? What an AI college essay review can and cannot do, and what a college essay grader leaves out. What the read checks against Wake Forest University’s own prompts is on the Wake Forest University essay review page.
Getting into Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University admits 21.7% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1410-1520 on the SAT and 32-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 5 applicants are admitted, at a college of 5,485 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1410 | 1470 | 1520 |
| SAT reading and writing | 700 | 730 | 750 |
| SAT math | 710 | 740 | 770 |
| ACT composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for Wake Forest University?
A 1520 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1470 at their midpoint, and a 1410 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 32, 33 and 34. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Wake Forest University?
- Wake Forest University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1410-1520 on the SAT: a 1410 sits at the 25th percentile, 1470 at the median and 1520 at the 75th. A score at or above 1520 is a clear strength in the application; below 1410 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Wake Forest University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Wake Forest University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 32-34 on the ACT, with a composite of 33 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 32. Reported by Wake Forest University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Wake Forest University?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Wake Forest University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Wake Forest University admits 21.7% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Wake Forest University?
- Wake Forest University admits 21.7% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 5 applicants. Numbers inside the reported range put you in a real position here, and the application itself decides the rest.
What Wake Forest University costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Wake Forest University essay questions, answered
- Does Wake Forest University have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Wake Forest University asks for two supplemental essays in 2026-27, chosen from five options. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 100 words, 150 words.
- How many essays do you write for Wake Forest University in 2026-27?
- Two supplements, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Wake Forest University admits 21.7% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Carleton College (20.4%), Smith College (21.0%), Skidmore College (21.1%), University of Florida (24.2%), Reed College (24.6%), Spelman College (24.9%).