Wake Forest University will offer free tuition to these NC students next fall
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake Forest will cover tuition for some NC students, depending on family income.
- Some students get full tuition and expenses paid; higher earners get partial aid.
- Aid targets new NC students and bases eligibility on FAFSA and tax documents.
Wake Forest University will offer free tuition to new, qualifying students from North Carolina starting next fall, with fees and other costs also covered for some of them.
The Winston-Salem university announced its “Gateway to Wake Forest” program Sept 18, saying in a news release the initiative is meant to “create more opportunities for talented, high-achieving North Carolina students to attend Wake Forest regardless of family income.”
Under the new program:
- Students with an annual family income of $100,000 or less will have the full cost of their tuition and “standard living expenses” covered.
- Students with an annual family income between $100,000 and $200,000 will receive the full cost of tuition and only be responsible for paying fees and other living expenses.
- Students with an annual family income between $200,000 and $300,000 will receive half the cost of tuition.
For the current academic year, Wake Forest tuition and fees are more than $70,300. Factoring in additional costs like housing and food, the university lists a total, yearly cost of attendance of nearly $94,000.
Students must be North Carolina residents and receive admission to Wake Forest to receive the benefits, which will be renewable for all four years of their undergraduate program. Families’ incomes will be determined with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, the CSS Profile and other federal tax documents.
The program will only apply to new students, not those currently enrolled, though the university provides other financial aid and says it is committed to meeting 100% of all students’ demonstrated financial need.
In a statement, Eric Maguire, Wake Forest’s vice president for enrollment, said the university wants “to demonstrate our affordability to North Carolina families.”
More than 75% of Wake Forest undergraduate students are from other states, according to the university. But more of the university’s students come from North Carolina than any other single state, per Maguire.
“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.”
While the university is starting the initiative for North Carolina students, it says it “may expand it in the future.”
Free tuition programs at NC universities
Wake Forest is the latest North Carolina school to offer such a program in recent years. Other initiatives include:
- Duke University’s offer to provide free tuition to students from North Carolina and South Carolina with annual family incomes of $150,000 or less. Students from families with an annual income of $65,000 or less are eligible for additional assistance for the costs of housing, meals, course materials and other expenses.
- UNC-Chapel Hill’s offer to provide free tuition to undergraduate students from North Carolina whose families make less than $80,000 per year.
- UNC Asheville’s offer to cover tuition and fees for North Carolina students whose family income is $80,000 or less.
- Johnson & Wales University’s offer to cover tuition for eligible students from North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
- William Peace University’s offer to cover tuition for North Carolina students whose family income is less than $75,000.
More information about the “Gateway to Wake Forest” initiative is available at financialaid.wfu.edu/types-of-aid/ncgateway-to-wfu.
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Wake Forest University will offer free tuition to these NC students next fall."
