Head-to-head · 25 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 60% chose USC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 25 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 USC
Median scholarship (chose USC)
Median scholarship (chose BU)
View all-time (75 cross-admits)
Trend · USC'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
Overview
About USC vs BU
Across 25 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 60% enrolled at University of Southern California and 40% at Boston University. The split has shifted -17 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 Southern California and Boston University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 25 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 25 applicants admitted to both schools, 60% chose to attend University of Southern California. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
Both schools are closely ranked in U.S. News: #24 and #26, separated by just 2 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California, while Boston University is in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Southern California places 56.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 35.7% for the other school. This 21 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Boston University has lower tuition at $69,870 per year compared to $84,034. Combined with employment rates of 95.5% (USC) and 91.2% (BU), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.