Why Choose Wingate?

To students who strive to make things better for themselves, their community and the world around them, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making, where students’ enthusiasm for learning intersects with the knowledge and experience of our faculty and the needs of our local community to make an impact for the common good.

What we do:

Wingate University empowers students to make a difference

How we do it:

By aligning talent, resources and expertise with student learning opportunities

Why we do it:

To improve the human condition

Our creative platform

Be a difference-maker

This is the essence of a Wingate University education. It is our positioning – how the world sees us, or at least how we want the world to see us – distilled into a phrase that will inform our communications. Wingate is a laboratory of difference-making, where students become difference-makers.

Our key strengths

So, how is Wingate a difference-maker? The difference we make shines through in the four key strengths that make the University distinctive:

1. Our students have an exceptional student experience.

We align our talent and expertise with students’ enthusiasm to be an asset to our community.

2. We’re the No. 1 healthcare educator in western North Carolina.

Why is this important? Because we graduate people who are compassionate and want to make a difference by increasing the health outcomes of our community. We graduate people who care.

3. We are a model NCAA Division II institution.

The same qualities that make a difference-maker also make an outstanding student-athlete. We dominate the SAC athletically (and are a player in several sports nationally), but we really excel in the classroom.

4. Our graduates experience uncommon success.

Wingate students are challenged – to push themselves, to get involved, to make a difference in the community. This results in success after they graduate. One big way we can make a difference as an institution is to promote social mobility. We strive to make a Wingate education life-changing for all.

Here's more:

Academics

35 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional programs and 38 minors.
Most popular majors are nursing, biology, psychology, management, human services and criminal justice.
97 percent of seniors say they’ve been challenged by their courses at Wingate.
Leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication and interpersonal skills are just some of the skills students develop at Wingate.
Faculty focus on teaching and one-on-one personal attention to create meaningful experiences in and out of the classroom that make a difference in students’ lives.
None of our classes are taught by graduate or teaching assistants, and 87% of full-time faculty members have terminal degrees.
Student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1 and average class size is 21.
Every student has a faculty advisor and career service advisor.

Accolades

Fastest-growing private, doctoral-granting university in North Carolina and 8th-fastest-growing in the U.S.
Leading healthcare educator in western North Carolina.
Nearly all of our students are employed or in grad school within six months of graduation.
10 years after coming to Wingate, our graduates’ salaries are above the national average.
When it comes to the social mobility of students after graduation, Wingate ranks among the top national universities and No. 1 in North Carolina among private, doctoral granting universities.
Physician assistant and nursing students regularly earn 100 percent pass rates on their licensure exams.
Our physical therapy program – just six years old – earned a 100 percent pass rate on the national exam last year.
Wingate is #11 on a national list for the highest percentage of undergraduate students studying abroad in the nation, and the 3rd highest-ranking school in North Carolina.

Athletics

Nearly 1 in 4 of our students is a collegiate athlete, and we have won more than 40 individual and team national championships.
Have had the most Academic All-Americas in NCAA Division II since 2000, and more than any other school in North Carolina – including Duke and UNC.
Won the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award 13 years in a row, meaning we’ve had the top overall athletics program in our conference since George W. Bush was president.

Admissions Process

Application process is quick and easy – with no admission deadline, application fee or essay required.
Students can self-report their high school GPA and their test score (ACT, SAT, CLT or PSAT). Incoming classes of 2021 through 2023 are test-optional. If a test score is not supplied, an essay is required.
Students who apply hear back from us within two weeks, and if they are admitted they find out then how much academic scholarship money they qualify for.

Motto is Faith, Knowledge, Service, and our religious heritage grounds us and makes us welcoming to people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Students tell us they love our family atmosphere, personal relationships and opportunities to meet and work alongside people like and unlike themselves.
Campus life is rich and fun, with 1 out of 4 students taking part in intramural team sports and most getting involved in a variety of clubs, organizations and other activities outside of class.

Laboratory of Difference Making

Difference-making opportunities include internships, research with faculty members, service projects and study abroad, with costs offset by the University.
Lyceum Series of academic lectures, faith and character-development sessions, fine arts presentations and performances, and personal- and professional-growth seminars provide intellectual and cultural enrichment outside the classroom.
Our Collaborative for the Common Good is Wingate’s way of addressing the economic, social and ecological issues facing the underserved community of Eastern Union County while providing a hands-on learning experience for students.

Student Body

We appeal to a diverse group of students who strive to make things better for themselves, their community and the world around them.
72 percent come from North Carolina.
28 percent come from 41 different states and 51 countries.
62 percent are women – 38 percent are men.
34 percent are students of color.
Half are the first in their families to attend college.
22 percent are collegiate athletes.
Nearly 7 in 10 are enrolled in health sciences.
1 in 5 is preparing to be a physician assistant, pharmacist, physical therapist or nurse.

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