Head-to-head · 67 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 91% chose UNC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 67 self-reported decisions and ABA 509 filings.
Choice, not ranking
These are decisions, not opinions. Scholarship offers, location, intended practice, and personal fit are all priced into the split.
Cross-admit decision
Chose UNC
Median scholarship (chose UNC)
Median scholarship (chose WFU)
View all-time (163 cross-admits)
Trend · UNC's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2024 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About UNC vs WFU
Across 67 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 91% enrolled at University of North Carolina and 9% at Wake Forest University. The split has shifted +32 points across the tracked cycles.
These numbers reflect every factor that goes into a real decision: scholarship offers, geographic preference, intended practice area, and fit. Choosing one school doesn't mean it's "better" — it means the pool of cross-admits, weighing their options, ended up there more often. Pair this with the scholarship distribution and employment outcomes above for full context.
Looking at a different matchup? Browse all comparisons or run a custom pair from the index.
Compare another pair
Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 67 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 67 applicants admitted to both schools, 91% chose to attend University of North Carolina. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of North Carolina is ranked #18 compared to #30 — a gap of 12 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of North Carolina is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 11.2% compared to Wake Forest University's 24.6%.
Both schools are located in North Carolina — University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
On cost, University of North Carolina has lower tuition at $28,082 per year compared to $57,920. Combined with employment rates of 96.2% (UNC) and 97.4% (WFU), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Wake Forest University offered a median scholarship of $142,500 compared to $52,500, a difference of $90,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.