Head-to-head · 81 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 51% chose CLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 81 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 UPenn)
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Trend · CLS's share
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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
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Overview
About CLS vs UPenn
Across 81 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 51% enrolled at Columbia University and 49% at University of Pennsylvania.
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 University of Pennsylvania across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 81 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 81 applicants admitted to both schools, 51% 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, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #4 compared to #9 — a gap of 5 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Columbia University is located in New York City, New York, while University of Pennsylvania is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
On cost, University of Pennsylvania has lower tuition at $78,348 per year compared to $85,368. Combined with employment rates of 95.6% (CLS) and 92.8% (UPenn), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Pennsylvania offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $121,416, a difference of $13,584 that may factor into enrollment decisions.