Head-to-head · 51 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 96% chose UC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 51 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 UC
Median scholarship (chose UC)
Median scholarship (chose Cornell University)
View all-time (175 cross-admits)
Trend · UC'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 UC vs Cornell University
Across 51 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 96% enrolled at University of Chicago and 4% at Cornell University. The split has shifted +7 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.
Looking at a different matchup? Browse all comparisons or run a custom pair from the index.
Compare another pair
Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of Chicago and Cornell University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 51 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 51 applicants admitted to both schools, 96% chose to attend University of Chicago. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Chicago is ranked #2 compared to #13 — a gap of 11 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Chicago is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 9.7% compared to Cornell University's 18.2%.
University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois, while Cornell University is in Ithaca, New York. 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: Cornell University places 71.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 48.7% for the other school. This 23 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Cornell University offered a median scholarship of $150,000 compared to $52,500, a difference of $97,500 that may factor into enrollment decisions.