Head-to-head · 165 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 66% chose CLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 165 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 NYU)
View all-time (781 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
Overview
About CLS vs NYU
Across 165 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 66% enrolled at Columbia University and 34% at New York University. The split has shifted +24 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 New York University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 165 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 165 applicants admitted to both schools, 66% 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: #7 and #9, separated by just 2 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
Both schools are located in New York — Columbia University in New York City and New York University in New York City — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: Columbia University places 65.4% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 54.1% for the other school. This 11 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Columbia University offered a median scholarship of $90,000 compared to $78,000, a difference of $12,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.