Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University International Student Insurance

Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was established in 1834. It opened as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute in the town of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and quickly became Wake Forest College in 1838. The School of Law was founded in 1894, the medical school in 1902. In 1946, the school accepted an invitation from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to move its main campus 100 miles west to its current location. The school gained university status and its present name in 1967. Today, Wake Forest enrolls about 8,500 students and counting each year. The school colors are old gold and black, and its athletic nickname is the Demon Deacons.

Academic Offerings

For undergraduates, Wake Forest offers about 40 majors and almost 60 interdisciplinary minors between the Wake Forest College and the School of Business. For advanced degrees, it offers master’s degrees, PhDs, and professional degrees between the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, the School of Business, and the School of Divinity.

On Campus

Wake Forest’s campus has several noteworthy attractions. One is the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, founded in 1917 and affiliated with the university since 2002. The museum features work by famous artists like Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jacob Lawrence. Reynolda Gardens is a nature preserve that provides educational opportunities for students of horticulture, environmental sciences, and landscape history. It also hosts many events that are open to the public. Noteworthy research centers and institutes on campus include the Eudaimonia Institute, which explores the elements that support human flourishing; the BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism; the Center for Molecular Signaling, and the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. 

Notable Alumni

Notable Wake Forest University alumni include actor Marc Blucas, television creator David Chase, golf legend Arnold Palmer, actor Lee Norris, comedy writer Sarah Schneider, and news anchor Dagen McDowell.