Head-to-head · 34 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 74% chose SMU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 34 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 SMU
Median scholarship (chose SMU)
Median scholarship (chose Baylor University)
View all-time (105 cross-admits)
Trend · SMU's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
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
University of Texas at Austin
65
Texas A&M University
44
University of Houston
38
Baylor University
34
Arizona State University
19
Southern Methodist University
34
University of Texas at Austin
33
Texas A&M University
20
University of Oklahoma
14
University of Houston
14
Overview
About SMU vs Baylor University
Across 34 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 74% enrolled at Southern Methodist University and 26% at Baylor University. The split has shifted +29 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 Southern Methodist University and Baylor University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 34 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 34 applicants admitted to both schools, 74% chose to attend Southern Methodist University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Baylor University is ranked #34 compared to #42 — a gap of 8 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Both schools are located in Texas — Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Baylor University in Waco — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: Southern Methodist University places 27.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 7.1% for the other school. This 21 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Baylor University has lower tuition at - per year compared to $60,844. Combined with employment rates of 97.6% (SMU) and 97.0% (Baylor University), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Baylor University offered a median scholarship of $160,000 compared to $102,000, a difference of $58,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.