ABA 509 Profile · Public · Durham, NC
North Carolina Central University School of Law: admission requirements and 509 data
A median LSAT of 151 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.31 describe the class that entered in 2025. 1,303 people applied, 509 were admitted and 133 enrolled. Every figure below is taken from this school's ABA Standard 509 Information Report, the disclosure the ABA requires each approved law school to publish for applicants.
Median LSAT
151
p25 149 to p75 154
Median UGPA
3.31
p25 3.05 to p75 3.56
Acceptance Rate
39.1%
509 offers of 1,303 applications
First-Year Class
133
110 full time, 23 part time
Full-Time Tuition
$36,116
residents pay $13,444
Living Estimate
$28,292
school's own figure, single student off campus
Median Grant
$12,982
72% of students hold one
First-Time Bar Pass
55.9%
jurisdiction average 79.9%
How the acceptance rate is worked out
509 offers of admission ÷ 1,303 completed applications = 39.1%
We divide offers by completed applications rather than reprinting a rate. The 509 report states 39.06%, which agrees with the division above. The rate counts every completed application, including applicants who never became competitive, so it is a measure of volume as much as of standards.
What the 2025 numbers say about North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University received 1,303 completed applications for the 2025 entering class and made 509 offers of admission, an acceptance rate of 39.1%. 133 of those admitted enrolled, a yield of 26.1%. Counting deferred admits and part-time entrants, the first-year class came to 133 students: 110 full time and 23 part time. Total JD enrollment across all years is 361.
Enrolled students posted a median LSAT of 151, with a 25th percentile of 149 and a 75th of 154. That is 8 points below the 159 median across the 196 ABA-approved schools in this data. It ranks 178 of 196 on LSAT median. Undergraduate GPA ran 3.05 at the 25th percentile, 3.31 at the median and 3.56 at the 75th.
Full-time tuition is $13,444 for residents and $36,116 for non-residents, a gap of $22,672 a year. Mandatory fees add $5,746. The school's own living-expense estimate for a single student off campus is $28,292. Tuition, fees and that living estimate add up to $70,154 for one year, or $210,462 across three, before any grant. 281 JD students hold a grant or scholarship, 72% of the student body, and the median full-time award is $12,982. 56 awards cover full tuition or more.
Of the graduating class that sat a bar exam for the first time, 80 of 143 passed, a rate of 55.94%. The weighted average across the jurisdictions where those graduates sat was 79.92%, so the school ran 23.98 points behind the jurisdictions it feeds. Ten months after graduation, 87 of 137 graduates (63.5%) held a job requiring bar admission. 4 joined law firms of 251 lawyers or more (2.9% of the class), of whom 3 went to firms of 501 or more. The largest single destination was North Carolina with 70 graduates, followed by Florida with 8.
North Carolina Central University has been approved by the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education since 1950. It is a public school based in Durham, NC. 20 first-year students left for academic reasons, 15.0% of the class. 4 students transferred in from other law schools.
The full 509 record
Admitted class profile, 2025 entering class
| Completed applications | 1,303 |
|---|---|
| Offers of admission | 509 |
| Matriculants from the applicant pool | 133 |
| Yield (matriculants per offer) | 26.1% |
| LSAT 75th percentile | 154 |
| LSAT 50th percentile | 151 |
| LSAT 25th percentile | 149 |
| UGPA 75th percentile | 3.56 |
| UGPA 50th percentile | 3.31 |
| UGPA 25th percentile | 3.05 |
| Students admitted on an LSAT score | 133 |
| Students admitted on a GRE score | 0 |
Program, faculty and calendar
| Total JD enrollment | 361 |
|---|---|
| JD degrees awarded | 138 |
| Credit hours required for the JD | 88 |
| Academic term | Semesters |
| Full-time faculty | 34 |
| Faculty other than full time | 35 |
| Course titles beyond the first year | 176 |
| Law clinic seats filled118 available | 72 |
| Field placements filled | 76 |
| Application deadline | 4/30/2026 |
| Application fee | $60 |
Tuition, fees and living costs, 2025 to 2026
| Full-time tuition, resident | $13,444 |
|---|---|
| Full-time annual fees, resident | $5,746 |
| Full-time tuition, non-resident | $36,116 |
| Full-time annual fees, non-resident | $5,746 |
| Part-time tuition, resident | $13,444 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, resident | $19,190 |
| First-year tuition plus fees, non-resident | $41,862 |
| Living expenses, on campus | $28,292 |
| Living expenses, off campus | $28,292 |
| Living expenses, at home | $28,292 |
| Tuition, fees and living, one yearthe three published figures added together | $70,154 |
| The same three figures over three yearsbefore any grant or scholarship | $210,462 |
| Tuition guarantee program | No |
Grants and scholarships
| JD students receiving a grantof 391 students | 281 |
|---|---|
| Share receiving a grant | 72% |
| Awards below half tuition | 129 |
| Awards from half to full tuition | 96 |
| Awards at full tuition | 3 |
| Awards above full tuition | 53 |
| Full-time grant, 75th percentile | $20,907 |
| Full-time grant, 50th percentile | $12,982 |
| Full-time grant, 25th percentile | $8,080 |
| Conditional scholarships offered | No |
Attrition, transfers and outcomes
| First-year academic attrition15.0% of the first-year class | 20 |
|---|---|
| First-year other attrition | 6 |
| Students transferring in | 4 |
| First-year students transferring out | 3 |
| First-time bar takers | 143 |
| First-time bar passers | 80 |
| Gap to the jurisdiction average | -23.98 points |
| Graduates in a job requiring bar admission63.5% of 137 graduates | 87 |
| Graduates at firms of 251 or more lawyers2.9% of graduates | 4 |
| Graduates at firms of 501 or more lawyers | 3 |
| Graduates in federal clerkships | 0 |
| Graduates seeking work at the reporting date | 10 |
As listed on the 509 report
640 Nelson Street
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 530-6333
Council approved since 1950
North Carolina has 6 ABA-approved law schools. The North Carolina guide compares them on LSAT median, cost and bar passage, and covers the state's admission rules.
Closest on the numbers
Schools with the nearest LSAT median to North Carolina Central University
Data: ABA Standard 509 Information Report (2025), published for consumer disclosure, retrieved from the ABA Required Disclosures portal on 2026-09-01. Bar passage and employment figures come from the same portal's Bar Passage Outcomes and Employment Summary reports for the class of 2024. Figures describe the 2025 to 2026 reporting cycle for North Carolina Central University School of Law and are restated in our own structure; no ABA document or file is reproduced here. Verify anything decision-critical with the school.
Related reading: LSAT score guide, GPA benchmarks, law school cost and ROI, application timeline, all 196 ABA-approved schools, and the Yale profile for the top of the range.