Head-to-head · 56 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 96% chose CLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 56 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 BU
Median scholarship (chose BU)
Median scholarship (chose CLS)
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Trend · BU's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2025 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About BU vs CLS
Across 56 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 4% enrolled at Boston University and 96% at Columbia 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 Boston University and Columbia University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 56 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 56 applicants admitted to both schools, 96% chose to attend Columbia University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Columbia University is ranked #9 compared to #24 — a gap of 15 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts, while Columbia University is in New York City, New York. 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: Columbia University places 70.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 41.1% for the other school. This 29 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Boston University has lower tuition at $69,870 per year compared to $85,368. Combined with employment rates of 95.8% (BU) and 97.2% (CLS), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Boston University offered a median scholarship of $180,000 compared to $95,000, a difference of $85,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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