Head-to-head · 96 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 94% chose CLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 96 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 CLS
Median scholarship (chose CLS)
Median scholarship (chose Cornell University)
View all-time (249 cross-admits)
Trend · CLS'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
Harvard University
202
New York University
165
Georgetown University
132
Cornell University
96
University of California—Berkeley
89
Harvard University
138
Columbia University
96
University of Pennsylvania
72
Georgetown University
66
University of Michigan
65
Overview
About CLS vs Cornell University
Across 96 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 94% enrolled at Columbia University and 6% at Cornell University. The split has shifted +13 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 Columbia University and Cornell University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 96 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 96 applicants admitted to both schools, 94% chose to attend Columbia University. 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: #9 and #13, separated by just 4 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
Columbia University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 11.8% compared to Cornell University's 18.2%.
Both schools are located in New York — Columbia University in New York City and Cornell University in Ithaca — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Cornell University offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $105,000, a difference of $30,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.