Head-to-head · 59 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 68% chose NU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 59 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 Cornell University
Median scholarship (chose Cornell University)
Median scholarship (chose NU)
View all-time (155 cross-admits)
Trend · Cornell University's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2025 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Harvard University
140
Columbia University
99
University of Pennsylvania
72
University of Michigan
66
Georgetown University
66
Overview
About Cornell University vs NU
Across 59 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 32% enrolled at Cornell University and 68% at Northwestern University. The split has shifted +10 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 Cornell University and Northwestern University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 59 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 59 applicants admitted to both schools, 68% chose to attend Northwestern 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.
Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York, while Northwestern University is in Evanston, Illinois. 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: Northwestern University places 67.4% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 56.9% for the other school. This 11 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Northwestern University offered a median scholarship of $180,000 compared to $150,000, a difference of $30,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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