Wake Forest University School of Law
Winston Salem, North Carolina · Private · ABA-approved since 1936 · Data updated November 2, 2026
Wake Forest University School of Law is a private law school in Winston Salem, North Carolina, approved by the American Bar Association since 1936. It admitted a fall 2025 class with a median LSAT of 166, higher than 78% of ABA-approved schools, saw 89.6% of its first-time bar takers pass in 2025 and placed 89.2% of its 2025 graduates in full-time lawyer jobs.
What stands out
- A median scholarship of $40,000, larger than at 89% of schools.
- 38.6% of graduates went to firms of more than 250 lawyers or federal clerkships.
Admissions: LSAT, GPA and acceptance rate
For the class that entered in fall 2025, Wake Forest University received 2,883 completed applications and made 710 offers, an acceptance rate of 24.6%. 204 students enrolled in the first-year class. The typical ABA school accepted 35.8%.
| Entering class, fall 2025 | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSAT | 163 | 166 | 168 |
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.60 | 3.79 | 3.90 |
A quarter of the class scored 163 or lower on the LSAT and a quarter scored 168 or higher. An applicant at or above the median, 166, is in the stronger half of this class; one below the 25th percentile is a long shot unless something else in the file stands out.
2 of the entering students were admitted on a GRE score instead of the LSAT.
Where would your numbers fall in this class?
Enter an LSAT score and undergraduate GPA. We compare them with the class that entered in fall 2025. This shows where your numbers sit, not your chances: admissions offices read the whole file.
Tuition, living costs and scholarships
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $59,144 a year. That is more than 67% of ABA schools charge. The school estimates living costs of $30,639 a year off campus.
| Annual cost, 2025-26 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition, full-time, resident | $57,920 |
| Fees, full-time, resident | $1,224 |
| Living costs, on campus | $30,639 |
| Living costs, off campus | $30,639 |
| Living costs, at home | $30,639 |
In 2024-25, 76% of full-time students received a grant or scholarship from the school. The median award was $40,000, and the middle half of awards ran from $30,000 to $55,162. Subtract the median award from the full-time tuition and fees above and a typical recipient pays about $19,144 a year in tuition and fees, before living costs. That is a rough guide, since awards vary and some students get nothing.
| Size of grant, all students | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Less than half tuition | 18% |
| Half to full tuition | 54% |
| Full tuition | 1% |
| More than full tuition | 3% |
Scholarships that can be cut. The school reports that it does not award scholarships that are reduced or ended because of grades, other than for failing to stay in good academic standing.
Three years, roughly. At 2025-26 prices, three years of full-time tuition and fees plus off-campus living costs come to about $269,349. With the median scholarship every year, about $149,349. Tuition usually rises each year, so treat this as a floor.
Bar passage
Of 154 graduates who took a bar exam for the first time in 2025, 138 passed: 89.6%. The average for the same exams, weighted by where its graduates sat, was 81.4%, so the school finished 8.2 points above that average.
| Where they sat, 2025 | Takers | Passed | School | State average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 83 | 72 | 86.8% | 82.1% |
| New York | 15 | 15 | 100% | 87.3% |
| 22 other jurisdictions | 56 | 51 | 91.1% | 79.7% |
The ABA also follows each class for two years. Of the 91 members of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam, 88 had passed one within two years: 96.7%.
Jobs after graduation
The ABA counts where each class is working ten months after graduation. Of 158 2025 graduates, 141 (89.2%) had full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage, and 15 more (9.5%) had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. At the typical ABA school, 83.4% were in lawyer jobs. 0 (0%) were unemployed and looking for work.
Law firm jobs by firm size
Shares are of all 158 graduates. Firms of more than 250 lawyers, the usual sense of “Big Law,” hired 54 (34.2%).
Where graduates work
Most employed graduates stayed in North Carolina (75), followed by Florida (15) and New York (14).
Students who leave
In 2024-25, 2 first-year students left Wake Forest University: 0 for academic reasons (0%) and 2 for other reasons, such as transferring to another school (1%).
Transfers run both ways: 5 first-year students transferred out and 6 transferred in from other law schools. The students who transferred in had a median first-year law school GPA of 3.66.
Classes, clinics and faculty
Wake Forest University offered 143 upper-level course titles beyond the first-year curriculum in 2024-25. Of its upper-level class sections, 70% had fewer than 25 students and 1% had 75 or more.
| Hands-on learning, 2024-25 | Number |
|---|---|
| Law clinic seats available | 218 |
| Law clinic seats filled | 129 |
| Field placement (externship) positions filled | 69 |
| Simulation course seats filled | 491 |
| Co-curricular offerings (journals, moot court, etc.) | 29 |
The school reports 48 full-time faculty and 56 more who teach part-time or in other roles. With 563 J.D. students, that is about 12 students per full-time faculty member.
How Wake Forest University compares in North Carolina
North Carolina has 6 ABA-approved law schools. Among them, Wake Forest University ranks 3rd in median LSAT, 4th in first-time bar passage, 3rd in share of graduates in lawyer jobs and 5th-lowest tuition.
| School | Median LSAT | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke University | 171 | $81,829 | 98.2% | 98.7% |
| University of North Carolina | 168 | $31,562 | 94.1% | 90.2% |
| Wake Forest University | 166 | $59,144 | 89.6% | 89.2% |
| Campbell University | 156 | $52,770 | 93.5% | 86.7% |
| Elon University | 154 | $45,333 | 69.9% | 82.2% |
| North Carolina Central University | 151 | $19,190 | 59.4% | 62% |
More on each, and on the North Carolina bar exam: law schools in North Carolina.
Schools with similar admissions numbers
These five schools admitted fall 2025 classes with the median LSAT and GPA closest to Wake Forest University's, so an applicant who fits here is likely to be a similar fit there. Compare what each costs and how its graduates fare.
| School | Median LSAT | Median GPA | Tuition | Bar pass | Lawyer jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest University | 166 | 3.79 | $59,144 | 89.6% | 89.2% |
| University of Illinois Champaign, IL | 166 | 3.81 | $39,904 | 93.2% | 92.2% |
| Emory University Atlanta, GA | 166 | 3.82 | $70,472 | 86.3% | 87.9% |
| William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | 166 | 3.82 | $46,102 | 92.8% | 91% |
| Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University New York, NY | 165 | 3.78 | $76,458 | 87.8% | 89.1% |
| Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | 167 | 3.81 | $68,686 | 97.8% | 94.7% |
Frequently asked questions
What LSAT score do you need to get into Wake Forest University School of Law?
There is no cutoff, but the class that entered in fall 2025 had a median LSAT of 166, with the middle half scoring 163 to 168. The median undergraduate GPA was 3.79. The school accepted 24.6% of applicants.
What is the bar passage rate at Wake Forest University School of Law?
89.6% of Wake Forest University graduates taking a bar exam for the first time in 2025 passed, against a weighted state average of 81.4%. Within two years of graduating, 96.7% of the class of 2023 who took a bar exam had passed.
How much does Wake Forest University School of Law cost?
Full-time tuition and fees for 2025-26 are $59,144 a year. Most students pay less: 76% of full-time students received a grant, with a median award of $40,000.
Do Wake Forest University School of Law graduates get jobs?
Ten months after graduation, 89.2% of the class of 2025 had full-time, long-term jobs requiring bar passage, and 9.5% more had full-time, long-term jobs where a law degree is an advantage. 0% were unemployed and seeking work.
Is Wake Forest University School of Law ABA-accredited?
Yes. Wake Forest University School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association since 1936, so its graduates can sit for the bar exam in every state.