Head-to-head · 14 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 93% chose ND. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 14 self-reported decisions and ABA 509 filings.
Choice, not ranking
These are decisions, not opinions. Scholarship offers, location, intended practice, and personal fit are all priced into the split.
Cross-admit decision
Chose ND
Median scholarship (chose ND)
Median scholarship (chose GMU)
View all-time (46 cross-admits)
Trend · ND's share
Lowest cycle
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Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2024 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About ND vs GMU
Across 14 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 93% enrolled at University of Notre Dame and 7% at George Mason University. The split has shifted +14 points across the tracked cycles.
These numbers reflect every factor that goes into a real decision: scholarship offers, geographic preference, intended practice area, and fit. Choosing one school doesn't mean it's "better" — it means the pool of cross-admits, weighing their options, ended up there more often. Pair this with the scholarship distribution and employment outcomes above for full context.
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Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of Notre Dame and George Mason University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes using official ABA 509 disclosures.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Notre Dame is ranked #20 compared to #32 — a gap of 12 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Notre Dame is located in South Bend, Indiana, while George Mason University is in Fairfax, Virginia. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Notre Dame places 39.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 11.0% for the other school. This 29 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, George Mason University has lower tuition at $24,864 per year compared to $73,430. Combined with employment rates of 95.2% (ND) and 93.6% (GMU), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Notre Dame offered a median scholarship of $157,500 compared to $103,500, a difference of $54,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.