My daughter was very interested after getting accepted to Wake and we struggled with the same issues. I am originally from Ohio and we serendipitously took a visit to Miami (OH) while visiting OSU, IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, etc. She said “this is very similar vibe to Wake.” So she applied and now attends with a large merit award. Excellent honors program and as mentioned outstanding merit. Campus is beautiful, D1 sports including hockey, but as my daughter says, “Im not going to sell you, just visit the campus”.
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Just chiming in to note that Wake Forest is a pretty special college in certain ways! I think the others that are truly closest are not any cheaper, and that is because it is not cheap to operate a college on this model.
But in my circles, William & Mary and Miami (OH) are frequently on the same lists with Wake Forest–but obviously not W&M for engineering. Then possibly also Lehigh, Bucknell, and Lafayette, although whether they would actually get on budget is indeed dicey.
Then this isn’t really a common choice in my circles, but I think would make sense–Trinity University (Texas).
Then I agree about Delaware, and I would add possibly Pitt.
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I would have her apply to Wake before the deadline for merit money. I think the application is due before the regular deadline.
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hmmmmm - that’d be six figures.
Good call by her and if she did want to, I hope you would nix that!!! That would be a strangling amount.
Hope you come back with more info/answers…
I thought about mentioning Baylor—-they’re well known for Biology and while not known for engineering, this is one of programs they are currently focused on developing, expanding, and investing in. Their engineering is “better” than Wake’s—it is, however, hard to compete in engineering with TAMU just down the road. Then again, TAMU is not a fit for everyone.
It would be really helpful if OP came back and gave us details, LOL. Baylor is quite a different school from Wake IMO.
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Furman, Richmond or Miami FL? I don’t think Furman offers engineering. Miami might be too expensive but they used to offer scholarships to top students.
Furman is the first I thought of - but it’d be a 3-2 engineering.
We still need to hear what “spirit” means.
When I think of Wake Forest, I think of a small city (which Winston Salem is). Some of the colleges being suggested here are in more rural areas, or at least not in a small city.
I hope @Susan11 returns here and clarifies what her daughter is looking for inna college. That will surely help us…and her.
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I note a friend with a D24 at Wake Forest has become a big fan of Winston Salem on visits, and apparently the kids are in fact making use of its proximity.
In many ways I think Rochester could be a good fit, except the vibe seems pretty different. So even though my own S24 applied to both, that appeared to be a relatively rare combination.
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Our son went to a different college for grad school…in Winston Salem. And he loved it there. It’s a neat smaller town.
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If interested in Biology, I would recommend Trinity. I went to an admitted students’ day at Trinity in February. I didn’t meet a single person who wasn’t some form of pre-health/bio. It’s a great school, and gives large merit awards to most accepted students. It also starts out cheaper than most other private schools (~73k total COA?), which can help
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Wow thank you all for the suggestions! She wants to stay on the East Coast and be in the South (we live in Virginia). However, if she were to find a school like Wake a little further North I’m sure she wouldn’t say no just because of the state it is located in. For school spirit- she wants a place where students go to games and are excited about the place they attend (she does not have that in high school). As for what she is going to study, she needs a school that will let her explore and figure out her passion. Science is something she has always enjoyed, but we keep asking her, “what are you going to do with your major” (her father and I were both science majors in college). Engineering is something she would like to be able to explore.
She is a great student- always taken the hardest classes offered at her school and done very well. Her GPAs is a 4.15 out with a max of 4.3. The SAT is a bit of a struggle for her, but she is hoping to get her score up to 1450+ when she takes it again. Maybe I have written off some of the school mentioned above due to them costing just as much as Wake-Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh etc. My understanding of merit money at these private schools is you have to be off the charts to get a significant amount. She is not that person.
After reading all the suggestion…we are headed to Richmond. Though it’s a little bit smaller and closer to home than what she wanted, she is willing to go take a tour.
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If she’s looking for a smaller college experience, Wofford has a dual degree program in engineering with Clemson or Columbia University. They do 3 years at Wofford and then transfer to finish at either one of those options.
https://www.wofford.edu/academics/majors-and-programs/pre-engineering/dual-degree-program
First off, what’s her unweighted GPA - so 4 for any A, 3 for a B, 2 for a C. If it has +/-, just used the whole # - A- = 4, etc.
What is her SAT - English, Math - not what she wants it to be. Wake likely wasn’t gonna happen without a strong SAT.
What is the highest level of math?
I would personally only go to a school with engineering and I would start there. The reason is - it’s typically easy to jump out and back to a science but not to jump from a science to engineering.
If you go to a non engineering school - Richmond, Furman - well then you can’t study engineering - so what’s the point? You could do a 3-2 (5 year BS) at two schools - but it’s another year of school costs, lost income, and you have to leave your comfort zone and go to a new zone (where people are already established). Wofford was mentioned above - same thing - and there’s no assurance Columbia takes you (not guaranteed).
So the first two I think of, mentioned earlier, are Syracuse and SMU. Syracuse is bigger. SMU is a bit off the East Coast - but you’re in the same conference as Wake (both). Merit is possible but the price point isn’t assured. SU, of course, is much bigger and even admission there isn’t assured if the SAT is low or rigor isn’t where it needs to be.
If I look at Mechanical schools on the East Coast (it’s the biggest engineering major), these three aren’t good Wake comparators but have some spirit, would be much lower cost, and engineering has smart kids everywhere - or they can’t make it - but here’s a trio:
Quinnipiac - like the size, known in hockey. Don’t love the comparison but will leave it there. Similarly, I’d say UNH - where you can access the hour long train into Boston. They are two East Coast - ehhhh - not matches but maybe worth a look. I’ll add Hofstra as a third - don’t love the Wake comparison…but…it has some of what you’re asking for.
Others to look at:
Delaware - mentioned earlier by @thumper1 - not Wake level sports - but still D1 and spirit. Much bigger…will be much better in cost. It’s a great sub.
U Miami - you could get merit but will still be over. Of course, here, like Wake, the student might not get in. In fact, depending on SAT, likely won’t.
Pitt is too big - but it’s very versatile - and has very accomplished students. Apply early and get in. A bit over budget. Very good school and has ACC sports as well.
Don’t turn your back to UT Chattanooga - smaller school, accessible to downtown by a bridge (closer than Wake to downtown Winston) - beloved in Tennessee…great cost for you and not too far. Has FCS football and D1 hoops. It would make a nice sub in many ways. And Chatt is a fantastic city.
Last one - I’ll say again - big for hockey - UAH - will be $20-40K - depending on overall stats. Not like Wake - small regional but with a national engineering rep. Nice city - educated city (surrounded by defense companies) - great weather - they come out for Hockey but not all. In one recent poll, Huntsville was named the top city for new grads - i.e. there’s jobs there and cost of living is great relative to other places.
A smaller Southern school, inexpensive and zooming up in the engineering arena is Mississippi State. It’s far bigger than Wake but - low cost, merit, but not exactly near things…but it’s far less a party school than other SEC schools so I mention it. And has SEC sports.
Hope that helps. I wanted to focus on the spirit schools - because I understand, she missed that and it’s important to her - and all these will work in some form.
A few (SU/Miami) will be harder admits and SMU/PItt may not hit cost…Pitt will be a bit over and SMU dependent on merit.
The rest should bring a smile to the bank account.
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I think you are underselling her but like was just said, what is her unweighted GPA and her actual test score?
She needs a 32 ACT or equivalent SAT score and a GPA above 4.0 and she will have a lot of options for merit money—depending on the school. The higher the unweighted GPA the better. If she is struggling with the SAT, consider the ACT. They are not the same test. How close is she to that?
Look at state schools in the South that publish merit money based on a combo of GPA and/or test score. Alabama, Mizzou, Ole Miss, Miss State, and Arkansas —maybe U of South Carolina—all offer A LOT of money and all of these schools are clear about how much to expect….also Auburn, although they are less generous. Arkansas might be a great choice—Fayetteville is a fantastic college town, and they are super into their sports teams. It is a good strategy to choose one of these schools as a financial and admit safety.
While they aren’t as prestigious overall as Wake Forest is, they are solid educational options and for engineering, possibly better.
Southern schools that give less merit money include UNC, UVA, Clemson, and UGA. Smaller schools like William and Mary or Miami of OH aren’t going to have the same sports culture, so it just depends on her priorities.
Since you are Virginia residents, I would have William and Mary and James Madison high on my list. Williamsburg is amazing and JMU is up and coming with happy motivated students.
Also private schools can and do give a lot of money to high achievers—even if the parents are decently high income—my daughter had a 32ACT and a 4.24W and got over $200K in grants and scholarships from a private school. Look for the 2026 FAFSA chart to see if you can qualify for aid.
Has she considered bioengineering or environmental engineering?
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Is University of Delaware too far north?
What aid is on the FAFSA chart beside the Pell Grant, and Direct Loans?
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Grants.
We used the FAFSA chart to understand that we qualified for aid at private universities but not at public ones. My daughter received a yearly grant (not a Pell Grant) and not a loan.
@kelsmom what FAFSA chart is this person talking about and what grants would it show? SEOG?
@Susan11 if your student shows interest in a college, run the net price calculator for that college…on that college’s website. Some ask for stats, and will also give a range of institutional grants your child might receive.
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