The American Bar Association approved Elon University School of Law’s application to institute a full-time, 2.5-year juris doctor in Charlotte beginning next year. Enrollment will open Sept. 1.
Elon University School of Law has been approved by the American Bar Association to open a full-time law program in Charlotte planned for launch in Fall 2027.
Applications will be accepted starting Sept. 1, 2026.
The ABA approval clears the way for Elon Law to expand its nationally recognized model of full-time legal education to North Carolina’s largest city. At that point, Elon Law will offer three pathways to a law degree in North Carolina: a full-time program in Greensboro, a full-time program in Charlotte and the part-time Elon Law Flex Program in Charlotte.
“This comes at an incredible moment for Elon Law,” said Elon Law Dean Zak Kramer. “Within the last year, we’ve celebrated historic bar passage rates and employment outcomes for our graduates, along with record enrollment and student applications. The ABA’s approval of our Charlotte program builds on that momentum, allowing Elon Law to bring our signature approach to legal education to one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.”
The inaugural Charlotte class, consisting of up to 75 students, will begin studies in August 2027 on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. The charter cohort will graduate in December 2029, following Elon Law’s existing 2.5-year, seven-trimester academic calendar in Greensboro. The Elon Law Flex Program will also begin holding its part-time evening classes on the Queens campus in Fall 2027.
The full-time Charlotte program will replicate the innovative curriculum established at Elon Law’s Greensboro campus. The hallmark of Elon Law’s experiential, skills-based, community-centered approach to legal education is the Residency-in-Practice Program: a course-connected placement that pairs every student with a practicing attorney or judge during the winter or spring of their second year.
That experience moves students beyond studying the law to begin living it — working alongside attorneys and judges, serving clients and communities, and developing the professional judgment and practical skills expected of new lawyers. Students return to campus with greater confidence, stronger professional connections and a clearer sense of the kind of lawyer they will become.
Elon Law is in the early stages of hiring a full complement of professors, administrators and student support personnel who will lead the full-time program in Charlotte. The move aligns with the proposed merger of Elon University and Queens University, which remains subject to final approval from SACSCOC and the U.S. Department of Education.
Elon leaders are working closely with Queens University to ensure law students benefit from a vibrant campus experience and the resources of a thriving university community.
The expansion also builds on Elon Law’s longstanding relationships throughout Charlotte’s legal community. Already, more than 10 percent of the law school’s alumni live and work in the Charlotte area. Law school leaders plan to strengthen existing partnerships, develop new connections and grow opportunities for students to serve in a region with a need for legal talent, legal services and innovative legal education.
Through clinics, residencies and community partnerships, Elon Law students regularly work alongside attorneys, judges, nonprofit organizations and public agencies to help address unmet legal needs.
“We’ve been in Charlotte all along through our students, alumni and community partnerships,” Kramer said. “This approval gives us an opportunity to deepen our commitment to Charlotte. We’re excited to invest here, build new partnerships and help shape what comes next.”
Additional information about admissions, faculty hiring and program development will be announced in the coming months.
About 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 residency-in-practice field placement for all full-time students during the winter or spring of their second year. The law school’s distinctive full-time curriculum provides a logically sequenced program of professional preparation and is accomplished in 2.5 years, which offers 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 downtown Greensboro in 2006. Its annual enrollment now tops 500 students. The law school is regularly featured in PreLaw Magazine’s “Best Schools for Practical Training” rankings, maintaining an A+ rating each year since 2023. Elon Law was also among schools highlighted by Bloomberg Law in 2023 for its innovative approach to student development.
The Elon Law Flex Program, a part-time, in-person program of legal study, launched in Charlotte in 2024. Designed for students balancing work, family and other commitments to earn their J.D. in under four years, it will enroll its third cohort in Fall 2026.