Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, it began as a Baptist-affiliated institution and maintains historic ties to the Baptist tradition while operating independently. The university offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences as well as professional degrees through its schools of business, law, medicine, and divinity. Wake Forest is known for its emphasis on small class sizes, undergraduate teaching, and a residential campus experience. Students are often drawn to its combination of liberal arts education and professional programs, its location in the Piedmont Triad region, and its participation in Atlantic Coast Conference athletics.

Wake Forest University was founded in 1834 as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Established by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, the school combined classical education with manual labor as part of its early mission. Under its first president, Samuel Wait, the institution developed into Wake Forest College and expanded its academic offerings. In 1942, the college began admitting women, marking a significant change in its student body. In 1956, Wake Forest College moved from the town of Wake Forest to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after receiving support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The institution achieved university status in 1967 and became Wake Forest University. Over the late twentieth century, it expanded graduate and professional programs, including business, law, medicine, and divinity, shaping Wake Forest University into a comprehensive private university in Winston-Salem.