Head-to-head · 24 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 75% chose UIUC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 24 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 UIUC
Median scholarship (chose UIUC)
Median scholarship (chose IIT-Kent)
View all-time (81 cross-admits)
Trend · UIUC'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 UIUC vs IIT-Kent
Across 24 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 75% enrolled at University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign and 25% at Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent). The split has shifted -23 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.
Looking at a different matchup? Browse all comparisons or run a custom pair from the index.
Compare another pair
Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign and Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 24 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 24 applicants admitted to both schools, 75% chose to attend University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign is ranked #46 compared to #105 — a gap of 59 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign has a median LSAT of 166 compared to 161, a gap of 5 points. This suggests applicants to University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign face a more competitive admissions pool.
Both schools are located in Illinois — University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign in Champaign and Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) in Chicago — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign places 34.0% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 10.3% for the other school. This 24 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) has lower tuition at - per year compared to $36,500. Combined with employment rates of 96.6% (UIUC) and 87.2% (IIT-Kent), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Illinois Institute of Technology (Kent) offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $45,000, a difference of $90,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.