Head-to-head · 62 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 89% chose UVA. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 62 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 UVA
Median scholarship (chose UVA)
Median scholarship (chose Cornell University)
View all-time (206 cross-admits)
Trend · UVA'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
Harvard University
162
Georgetown University
141
New York University
92
Vanderbilt University
91
George Washington University
84
Harvard University
135
Columbia University
89
University of Pennsylvania
71
Georgetown University
66
University of Michigan
63
Overview
About UVA vs Cornell University
Across 62 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 89% enrolled at University of Virginia and 11% at Cornell University. The split has shifted -19 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 University of Virginia and Cornell University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 62 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 62 applicants admitted to both schools, 89% chose to attend University of Virginia. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Virginia is ranked #4 compared to #13 — a gap of 9 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Virginia is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 10.2% compared to Cornell University's 18.2%.
University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, 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 60.2% for the other school. This 12 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Virginia has lower tuition at $74,078 per year compared to $84,722. Combined with employment rates of 95.3% (UVA) and 98.0% (Cornell University), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Cornell University offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $120,000, a difference of $15,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.