Wake Forest University Offers Tuition-Free Attendance for Some NC Students Starting 2026

Wake Forest University announced Wednesday that incoming North Carolina undergraduates from families earning less than $200,000 annually will attend tuition-free beginning with the fall 2026 semester, under a new initiative called the North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest University.

The income thresholds are tiered. Students from families earning under $100,000 will have both full tuition and standard living expenses covered through financial aid. Those from families earning between $200,000 and $300,000 qualify for financial aid covering 50% of tuition. The program applies to North Carolina families with typical assets who apply for financial aid.

"The North Carolina Gateway to Wake Forest University demonstrates our deep commitment to students from our home state," said President Susan R. Wente. "It says clearly to students and families who may not have considered Wake Forest because of cost: 'Wake Forest is within your reach.'"

Wente, herself a former Pell grant recipient, described the initiative as personal. "As a Pell grant recipient, private colleges in my home state felt entirely out of reach," she said. "I want talented North Carolinians from across the income spectrum to know they can come to Wake Forest and receive a transformational education."

Vice President for Enrollment Eric Maguire noted that North Carolina already produces more Wake Forest undergraduates than any other state. "The program will allow families to see and understand their likely out-of-pocket costs from the beginning," Maguire said. "That level of assurance and transparency will help more North Carolina families envision Wake Forest as a possibility."

The initiative is part of a strategic plan Wake Forest's Board of Trustees approved last summer, framed around reducing student reliance on loans by expanding financial aid and scholarships. It connects to the university's For Humanity scholarship initiative, which Wente launched at her March 2022 inauguration and which has since raised more than $150 million for student financial aid.

Wake Forest indicated the program could eventually expand beyond North Carolina, stating it anticipates making similar arrangements available to students from other states "in the years ahead," though no timeline or specific states were named.

Families can estimate their eligibility through Wake Forest's Net Price Calculator, though the university notes the tool provides an estimate and is not a guarantee. Prospective students can direct questions to admissions@wfu.edu or finaid@wfu.edu.