Founded by the state general assembly to provide a formal legal education for African-Americans, the North Carolina Central University School of Law was long the only option for black North Carolinians to enroll in law school. NCCU Law takes pride in its heritage, maintaining a diverse student body to this day. Along with its regular admissions process, NCCU Law has a performance-based admissions program, in which students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have low LSAT scores or GPAs can get a spot in the incoming class based on their performance in an intensive two-week law class.

NCCU Law runs both a full-time and evening JD program, with curricular requirements occupying about half of the necessary credits to graduate. Students can also enroll in either a JD/MBA or JD/MLS program. The school houses nine clinical programs, including one in alternative dispute resolution and one in juvenile justice. Before graduation, students can take a bar passage assistance program, which focuses on the quirks of North Carolina law. With a strong academic support system in place, grading is on a strict C curve to ensure that students take advantage and work hard.

NCCU Law graduates mostly practice in North Carolina, where the alumni network has the most roots. Students commute to the school from around Durham, as well as from nearby Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Crime in the city can be an issue, but in Vault's survey students report that the campus is well-patrolled by security.