How do Virginia Tech and Wake Forest compare for merit scholarships?

The biggest practical difference is scale: Wake Forest has a more prominent set of high-value, named merit scholarships, while Virginia Tech’s merit awards are more often smaller, campus-administered, or tied to specific colleges, majors, and donor criteria. At Wake Forest, major awards such as the Reynolds, Carswell, and Stamps Scholarships can substantially reduce the cost of attendance, with some covering full tuition or more. These awards are exceptionally selective and are not something a strong applicant should count on receiving.

Virginia Tech does offer merit scholarships to incoming students, typically through its General Scholarship Application and through individual academic colleges or departments.

For a strong but not nationally distinguished applicant, the realistic comparison is often Virginia Tech’s lower starting price for in-state residents versus Wake Forest’s higher sticker price and lower odds of a large merit award. Without that outcome, Virginia Tech will commonly be the more affordable choice for a Virginia resident; for a nonresident, compare the actual net-price offers closely rather than assuming either school will be a bargain.