Head-to-head · 53 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 100% chose CLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 53 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 WUSTL)
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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 WUSTL
Across 53 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 100% enrolled at Columbia University and 0% at Washington University in St. Louis.
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 Washington University in St. Louis across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 53 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 53 applicants admitted to both schools, 100% 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 Washington University in St. Louis's 19.0%.
Columbia University is located in New York City, New York, while Washington University in St. Louis is in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: Columbia University places 65.4% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 26 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Washington University in St. Louis has lower tuition at $72,792 per year compared to $85,368. Combined with employment rates of 95.6% (CLS) and 96.8% (WUSTL), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Washington University in St. Louis offered a median scholarship of $188,500 compared to $90,000, a difference of $98,500 that may factor into enrollment decisions.