Home › Law schools by state › Compare › University of California, Irvine vs University of North Carolina
University of California, Irvine vs University of North Carolina
Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.
VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.
The short version
- =About the same placement. 28.4% of UC Irvine's Class of 2025 and 29.0% of North Carolina's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
- North Carolina costs about $65K less over three years after the average scholarship: $194K against $258K.
- UC Irvine is harder to get into: a 169 median LSAT and a 14.9% acceptance rate, against 168 and 11.2% at North Carolina.
- North Carolina has the higher first time bar pass rate: 94.1% against 89.9%.
UC Irvine
vs
North Carolina
Where graduates go
North Carolina leads 4 of 5
28.4%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
✓29.0%
✓27.7%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
24.6%
0.6%
Federal clerkships
✓4.4%
93.5%
Graduates employed
✓97.3%
89.9%
First time bar passage
✓94.1%
What it costs
UC Irvine leads 3 of 4
$258K
Three year net cost
✓$194K
✓95%
Students receiving a scholarship
95%
✓$25,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$17,000/yr
✓$24,679/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
$15,888/yr
Who gets in
Acceptance rate: UC Irvine 14.9% · North Carolina 11.2%
LSAT
Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.
UC Irvine
166169170
North Carolina
165168169
162164166168170172
GPA
Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.
UC Irvine
3.593.803.90
North Carolina
3.783.893.97
3.503.603.703.803.904.00
University of California, Irvine
University of North Carolina
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Frequently asked questions
Is UC Irvine or North Carolina better for BigLaw?
North Carolina placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 29.0% against 28.4%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), UC Irvine placed 27.7% and North Carolina placed 24.6%. Federal clerkships were 0.6% at UC Irvine and 4.4% at North Carolina.
Which is harder to get into, UC Irvine or North Carolina?
UC Irvine's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 169 and a median GPA of 3.80, with a 14.9% acceptance rate. North Carolina's had 168 and 3.89, with 11.2%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, UC Irvine or North Carolina?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $258K at UC Irvine and $194K at North Carolina, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, UC Irvine or North Carolina?
95% of UC Irvine students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $25,000 a year among recipients. 95% of North Carolina students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $17,000 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
89.9% of UC Irvine's first time takers passed in 2025, against 94.1% at North Carolina. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose UC Irvine or North Carolina?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.
What a higher LSAT changes
Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.
Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology