Head-to-head · 23 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 74% chose WFU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 23 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 WFU
Median scholarship (chose WFU)
Median scholarship (chose UTKnoxville)
View all-time (39 cross-admits)
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 WFU vs UTKnoxville
Across 23 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 74% enrolled at Wake Forest University and 26% at University of Tennessee.
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 Wake Forest University and University of Tennessee across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 23 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 23 applicants admitted to both schools, 74% 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 #57 — a gap of 27 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while University of Tennessee is in Knoxville, Tennessee. 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 24.5% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 10.2% for the other school. This 14 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Tennessee has lower tuition at $16,696 per year compared to $57,920. Combined with employment rates of 97.4% (WFU) and 92.1% (UTKnoxville), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Wake Forest University offered a median scholarship of $120,000 compared to $50,000, a difference of $70,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.