Campus Box 3380, 5026 Van Hecke-Wettach Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380
Phone: 919.962.5109; Fax: 919.843.7939
E-mail: law_admissions@unc.edu; Website: www.law.unc.edu
The University of North Carolina, the first state university chartered in the United States, has offered degrees in law since 1845. The School of Law has been a member of the American Association of Law Schools since 1920 and has been an approved law school since the American Bar Association began its accreditation activities in 1923. The School of Law is one of the outstanding institutions in the United States, and the University of North Carolina is recognized as being among the nation's leaders in graduate and professional education. The programs at the School of Law reflect a powerful, active commitment to the goals of teaching, scholarship, and public service. The town of Chapel Hill, a university community, is close to the Research Triangle Park, the metropolitan and industrial centers of Greensboro and Durham, and the state capital, Raleigh. The immediate area offers an attractive blend of a strong academic atmosphere in a multicultural, cosmopolitan setting.
Housed on five floors within the law school, the library provides critical support to the school's academic program and to lawyers and members of the public throughout the state. Its collection, which totals over 547,000 volumes, includes court reports for American and English appellate courts, current codes and session laws for all states, and other primary legal materials. Within the library, a university computer lab provides Internet access, electronic mail, and word-processing capabilities, and it is easily accessible to law students. Additionally, students may bring their own laptop computers and connect to the university's network in many of the high-technology classrooms, library study carrels, and other areas in the building.
The School of Law aims to provide a quality legal education that will prepare students to practice successfully in any jurisdiction. The three-year Juris Doctor program begins with a first-year core curriculum designed to provide a theoretical and analytical foundation for law students. The second-year curriculum provides an important bridge between the core instruction of the first year and the culminating electives, seminars, and skills-oriented instruction of the third year. Finally, in the third year, the curriculum is designed to provide a capstone for students' legal education and begin the transition into practice.
Ten formal dual JD and master's degree programs are available: JD/MPP (in conjunction with Duke University), JD/MBA, JD/MPA, JD/MPH, JD/MRP, JD/MSW, JD/MASA, JD/MAMC, JD/MSLS, or MSIS.
The Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program prepares graduate students for leadership roles in North Carolina's rapidly growing nonprofit sector. The program provides an in-depth examination of leadership issues within human services, education, the arts, and other nonprofit organizations.
In addition to the regularly taught courses in international business and human rights and the International Law Journal, students interested in international law can enhance their legal experience further with foreign study during the school year in France, the Netherlands, Mexico, England, and Scotland. Additionally, after the first year, students may also participate in the school's Summer Law Programs in Sydney, Australia; Augsburg, Germany; or Sorrento, Italy.
Carolina boasts nationally recognized centers in banking and financial services; civil rights; poverty, work, and opportunity; our new Center for Law, Environment, Adaptation, and Resources (CLEAR); and the Center for Law and Government. All are key areas tied to our history and the unique opportunities unfolding in North Carolina, the South, and the world. These centers and initiatives expand and enliven our curriculum, push the frontiers of teaching and research, and open new channels of scholarship for students.
Outside of the classroom, student organizations provide a forum for the enormous talent and energy characteristic of Carolina law students. Students can write for five prominent student publications—the North Carolina Law Review, the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, the North Carolina Banking Institute Journal, the First Amendment Law Review, and the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology. The Student Bar Association sponsors a full range of professional, athletic, and social events; a speakers program; minority recruitment events; a legal research service for practicing lawyers; and participation in school governance. The Moot Court Program is student operated and fields a number of successful teams in regional, national, and international competitions. Over 50 student organizations are active in the School of Law, including the Black Law Students Association, Parents as Law Students, the Federalist Society, the Hispanic/Latino Law Students Association, the Native American Law Students Association, ACLU, Women in Law, American Constitution Society, and our nationally recognized Pro Bono Program.
Full-time tuition and fees for the 2011–2012 school year—North Carolina resident, $19,012; nonresident, $34,120. Estimated additional expenses—$21,244. Chancellors' Scholars Program scholarships are available, as well as other merit-based scholarships. Need-based assistance is awarded on the basis of FAFSA information. Students must submit parental information to FAFSA to be considered for need-based grants.
Admitted applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. Awards range from $5,000 to full tuition. Scholarship offers are made beginning in February.
There are graduate dormitories near the law school for single students; however, most students live off campus. University student family housing and private apartments are available. Information may be obtained from the University Housing Office, Carr Building CB 5500, Chapel Hill, NC 27399-5580; 919.962.5401.
The Career Services Office staff assists students and alumni with summer and permanent positions. Each year, approximately 200 employers from across the nation interview at the School of Law. Of those 2010 graduates seeking employment and reporting to the Career Services Office, 95 percent had accepted employment or were in graduate school within nine months of graduation. Of those 2010 graduates who entered into legal practice, 47 percent entered private practice; 22 percent entered public sector work, including public interest; 15 percent accepted judicial clerkships; 13 percent entered business/corporate-related practice; and 2 percent entered academia. Regarding job location, 53 percent were employed in North Carolina; 9.3 percent were employed in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; 3 percent were employed in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; and 2 percent were employed in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Almost 77 percent of our students are employed in the South Atlantic region of the country, which includes Delaware; Washington, DC; Florida; Georgia; Maryland; North Carolina; South Carolina; Virginia; and West Virginia. One percent were employed in a foreign country.
This grid includes only applicants who earned 120–180 LSAT scores under standard administrations.
| GPA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT Score |
3.75+ Apps |
3.75+ Adm |
3.50– 3.74 Apps |
3.50– 3.74 Adm |
3.25– 3.49 Apps |
3.25– 3.49 Adm |
3.00– 3.24 Apps |
3.00– 3.24 Adm |
2.75– 2.99 Apps |
2.75– 2.99 Adm |
2.50– 2.74 Apps |
2.50– 2.74 Adm |
2.25– 2.49 Apps |
2.25– 2.49 Adm |
2.00– 2.24 Apps |
2.00– 2.24 Adm |
Below 2.00 Apps |
Below 2.00 Adm |
No GPA Apps |
No GPA Adm |
Total Apps |
Total Adm |
| LSAT score 175–180 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 |
| LSAT score 170–174 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 43 |
| LSAT score 165–169 | 86 | 52 | 139 | 47 | 94 | 36 | 50 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 401 | 153 |
| LSAT score 160–164 | 179 | 55 | 216 | 53 | 199 | 45 | 115 | 24 | 34 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 778 | 180 |
| LSAT score 155–159 | 136 | 11 | 198 | 20 | 173 | 23 | 92 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 685 | 62 |
| LSAT score 150–154 | 58 | 6 | 84 | 7 | 81 | 6 | 59 | 2 | 33 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 350 | 21 |
| LSAT score 145–149 | 15 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 166 | 1 |
| LSAT score 140–144 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 0 |
| LSAT score 135–139 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| LSAT score 130–134 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| LSAT score 125–129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| LSAT score 120–124 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 498 | 140 | 703 | 143 | 618 | 121 | 396 | 52 | 175 | 3 | 90 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 5 | 2584 | 465 |
Apps = Number of Applicants
Adm = Number Admitted
Reflects 100% of the total applicant pool; highest LSAT data reported.