Graduates Of This North Carolina Law School Earn The Third Most Nationally

If you're going to invest your time and money into any sort of graduate school or doctorate degree, you want to make sure that investment is going to pay off. And for graduates of one particular North Carolina law school, it pays off in a big way. This research comes from a nationwide study of the law schools producing the highest-earning graduates. It was conducted by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine. They analyzed data from American Bar Association (ABA) accredited schools regarding the earnings of their graduates. This included the average earnings of recipients of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the schools. And when it came to law schools in particular? Graduates of Duke University Law School had the third-highest earning average nationwide.

After 4 years, alumni of Duke receive an average salary of $202,452. Anidjar & Levine report that this is 3210% more than than the average of the top 150 law schools combined which is $65,330. The only two schools with higher average salaries? Cornell and Yale Law. That's not bad company to be in.

Of course, you have to be able to get into Duke Law first. According to the school's website, the most recent class, the class of 2026 is "made up of 244 students, enrolled from 6,205 applicants." That's an acceptance rate of 3.9% in case you're wondering. The median GPA of those students is 3.87. And the median LSAT score is a 170. (Though Elle Woods did score higher). You'll also need that high salary to pay off the cost of law school. Duke Law School tuition is $74,100, with estimated expenses totaling $105,330 per year for the three-year program.

But for those who can make the cut, it will pay off with Duke graduates earning the most of any North Carolina law school and the third most nationwide. Is it too late to go back to school?

Looking at colleges can be overwhelming. I was lucky enough to know exactly where I wanted to go to school from a young age and was able to make that dream a reality. But many students don't know where they want to go or perhaps don't have the grades to get into their dream school. There are so many colleges across not only North Carolina, but the region, and nationally. Especially if you don't have a specific major in mind how do you even begin to narrow down your choices? One trusted source many high school students use is the US News and World Report Best Colleges rankings. The 2024 Best Colleges Rankings were just released, including 16 North Carolina universities in the national rankings.

This is undeniably just one of numerous things that should be considered when making the decision on where to study. Some students prefer a smaller institution, while others want a large college experience. Location plays a big part in the decision as well and of course affordability or availability of scholarships. The best colleges in North Carolina included on the US News list span the entire state of NC. Some are in small towns, others in the state's largest cities. Some are state schools which means cheaper tuition for in-state students. There are several private schools (complete with a higher price tag) included on the list as well.

The four highest-ranked schools all made the top 100 nationally. Two are private and two are public. All four are members of the ACC. Which ones ranked where? You'll have to keep reading to find out. Below you'll find information including enrollment and tuition for each NC school included on the US News rankings. Interested in another school or the full list? You can read that here.

Wingate University in Wingate, NC (near Monroe) ranked 37th overall. They actually tied with another NC institution. The school had an enrollment of 2,501 students in fall of 2022. Tutition at this private school is a little pricey at $41,516.

Typing with Wingate was Gardner-Webb University of Boiling Springs. It's a smaller school with a fall 2022 enrollment of 1,977. They do have a football team though! Tuition will cost you $33,230.

Jumping up a little over 50 spots to our next university. This time we are in Bules Creek NC. That's the home of 2,965 students at Campbell University. Tuition at this private school will run you $40,410.

The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC ranked 296th nationally. The private school has a pretty affordable tuition compared to other institutions- $10,234.

Ranked 280th NC A&T is the first public university we see on this list. The HBCU had a fall 2022 enrollment of 11,833 students. In state tuition is $6,733 while out of state is $20,243.

Ranked 260th nationally, Winston-Salem State University tuition is $6,276 for in-state. Out-of-state, isn't too bad at $16,932.

You'll find Western Carolina University is the mountains of North Carolina in Cullowhee. The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is only $4,000. In-state is $4,532 compared to out of state at just $8,532 making it one of the most affordable options in the state. Just under 10,000 undergrad students took advantage of this in the fall of 2022.

UNCG came in at 216th according to US News. The University, located in it's namesake of Greensboro will run you $7,370 for in-state tuition. In the fall of 2022 the school had an undergrad enrollment of 14,198 Spartans.

The 14,294 undergrad students at UNCW love being close to the beach! Tuition at the 201st school on the national list is $7,317 for in-state students and $22,985 for out-of-state students. UNCW would certainly rank higher based on location!

I know plenty of people who went to ECU and loved the college and the city of Greenville. We've now cracked the top 200, with the home of 21,866 Pirates. Tuition for North Carolinians is $7,325.

Charlotte as the school has recently launched a campaign to be called, is ever growing with a fall 2022 undergrad enrollment of 23,461. Tuition for in-state students is $7,214 and $21,338 for those from out of state (many of whom choose to stay in the area after graduation).

You'll find the 133rd ranked university in Burlington, NC. Elon is a private institution that will cost you $44,536. In the fall of 2022 6,337 chose to call the school home.

Breaking well into the top 100 NC State (Go Pack my alma mater) ranked 60th overall. The largest school in the state in the fall of 2022 saw an enrollment of 26,254 undergrad students. In-state tuition is $9,105 while out of state is $31,976.

A private university in Winston-Salem (though yes there is a town called Wake Forest where the school originated), Wake Forest tuition is $64,758. In the fall of 2022, there were 5,447 undergraduate Demon Deacons.

UNC Chapel Hill ranked 22nd nationally. The 2022 undergrad class consisted of 20,210 students. Out-of-state tuition at this state university is $39,338 compared to $8,998 for in-state students.

And the highest-ranked institution in North Carolina? Duke Univeristy ranked 7th nationwide. That's pretty impressive. I've lived in NC my entire life and honestly can't recall anyone I know who actually attended Duke, the population is largely out of state at this private school. Tuition is a steep $66,172 for the 6,640 undergrad students.