Head-to-head · 24 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 92% chose WFU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 24 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 South Carolina
Median scholarship (chose South Carolina)
Median scholarship (chose WFU)
View all-time (51 cross-admits)
Trend · South Carolina's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2025 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Wake Forest University
24
University of Tennessee
20
University of North Carolina
16
University of Georgia
12
Emory University
11
Overview
About South Carolina vs WFU
Across 24 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 8% enrolled at University of South Carolina and 92% at Wake Forest University. The split has shifted -20 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.
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Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of South Carolina and Wake Forest University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 24 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 24 applicants admitted to both schools, 92% chose to attend Wake Forest University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Wake Forest University is ranked #30 compared to #62 — a gap of 32 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: Wake Forest University has a median LSAT of 166 compared to 162, a gap of 4 points. This suggests applicants to Wake Forest University face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of South Carolina is located in Columbia, South Carolina, while Wake Forest University is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: Wake Forest University places 26.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 8.4% for the other school. This 18 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of South Carolina has lower tuition at $20,322 per year compared to $57,920. Combined with employment rates of 93.7% (South Carolina) and 98.7% (WFU), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Wake Forest University offered a median scholarship of $138,750 compared to $60,000, a difference of $78,750 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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