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The 177 members of the 51������ School of Law Class of 2028 arrived in Greensboro this week from 24 states and 83 colleges and universities, bringing diverse academic backgrounds, leadership experience and a common purpose to serve others through the legal profession.

One of the law school’s largest entering classes, the Class of 2028 begins its legal education this fall in Elon Law’s accelerated 2.5-year Juris Doctor program.

Selected from one of the strongest applicant pools in the law school’s history — and a record of nearly 1,400 applications — the entering class includes students from across North Carolina and the nation who have excelled in the classroom, led organizations and teams, conducted research, studied abroad, served their communities and gained professional experience in legal and non-legal fields before beginning law school. Its average LSAT score was 155, a school record.

Assistant Dean of Admissions Tyler Parent formally introduced the entering class during Convocation on Aug. 4, highlighting the achievements and experiences that members of the Class of 2028 bring to Elon Law.

“You were selected based on your many prior achievements. You demonstrated passion for studying law, and your immense potential for success in law school and serving others through the legal profession shined,” Parent said.

Here’s a look at what the Class of 2028 brings to Elon Law, as well as data annually submitted to the American Bar Association:

Total Enrollment (as of Aug. 7, 2025): 177

Average Age: 23 (ranging from 19 to 38)

Gender: 57% female, 42% male, 1% another gender identity

Top States Represented:

The class hails from 24 states across the U.S., with 46% from North Carolina.

• North Carolina: 96
• South Carolina: 18
• Virginia: 13
• Georgia: 8
• New York: 6

Florida and Maryland count five students each, and Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut count three students each.

Higher education

Elon Law’s Class of 2028 graduated from 83 different undergraduate institutions, including:

• North Carolina State University: 13
• Appalachian State University: 11
• University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill: 10
• 51������: 8
• University of South Carolina: 8

Other schools represented include the University of North Carolina – Charlotte, University of North Carolina – Wilmington, with seven students each; the University of North Carolina – Greensboro with six students; East Carolina University with five students; Western Carolina University with four students; and three each from Wake Forest University, Virginia Tech, North Carolina A&T State University, the University of Alabama, and James Madison University. Many others are represented, including Auburn University, Clemson University, the College of Charleston, Duke University, Liberty University, Penn State, the University of Kentucky, the University of Tennessee and the University of Virginia.

Experience, service and interests

Service is a defining characteristic of the Class of 2028. Parent noted:

• Four members of the class have served in the U.S. military, including three in the Army and one in the Marine Corps.
• At least five members are Eagle Scouts.

• Students have participated in mission trips, volunteered with organizations including Habitat for Humanity and Boys & Girls Clubs, organized charitable fundraisers and supported their communities in other ways.

Members of the Class of 2028 also arrive at Elon Law with a wide range of professional experience in legal and non-legal fields:

• Students have worked for law firms and judges, as well as in district attorneys’ offices, public defenders’ offices, city attorneys’ offices and other legal organizations.
• Several worked full-time as paralegals or legal assistants, while others volunteered as guardians ad litem and child advocates or served as deputy clerks of court.
• Members of the class held legislative internships in Congress and state legislatures, worked in federal and state agencies, and participated in political campaigns.
• Outside the legal field, students have worked as teachers, sports coaches, real estate agents, nannies, face painters, banquet servers, baristas, restaurant hosts and servers, and retail employees.
• Some are entrepreneurs who started their own businesses.

Outside the classroom and workplace, the class brings an eclectic mix of athletic, artistic and media experience:

• Students have competed in varsity sports including rowing, squash, hockey, lacrosse, football, baseball and basketball, while others participated in club and intramural athletics. Several served as team captains and earned all-conference honors.
• The class includes runners, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners, rugby players and golfers.
• Students have written for college newspapers and literary magazines, worked for college radio and television stations, and served as sports reporters and news correspondents.
• The class includes musicians who play guitar, ukulele, and trombone, as well as theater actors, a professional ballerina and a member of a hip-hop dance crew.

Parent also shared one new statistic during this year’s introduction: the most common first names among members of the Class of 2028. Four students are named Benjamin or Ben, four are named Matthew — and two are named Rachel Walker, who Parent joked will “have fun explaining who they are” over the next 2.5 years.

51������ Elon Law

Elon Law is the preeminent school for engaged and experiential learning in law. With a focus on learning by doing, it integrates traditional classroom instruction with a required, full-time Residency-in-Practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive curriculum offers a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which provides exceptional value by lowering tuition and permitting graduates early entry into their careers.

Elon Law has graduated more than 2,000 alumni since opening its doors in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students and the law school is regularly featured in the top tier of preLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings. In 2026, Elon Law received ABA approval to launch a full-time 2.5-year J.D. program on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte beginning in Fall 2027. The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study for place-bound students at 51������’s Charlotte campus, welcomes its third cohort in Fall 2026.