Head-to-head · 53 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 74% chose Cornell University. 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 Cornell University
Median scholarship (chose Cornell University)
Median scholarship (chose WUSTL)
View all-time (134 cross-admits)
Trend · Cornell University'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
138
Columbia University
96
University of Pennsylvania
72
Georgetown University
66
University of Michigan
65
Overview
About Cornell University vs WUSTL
Across 53 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 74% enrolled at Cornell University and 26% at Washington University in St. Louis. The split has shifted +11 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 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, 74% chose to attend Cornell 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: #13 and #13, separated by just 0 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
Cornell University is located in Ithaca, 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: Cornell University places 71.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 33 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 $84,722. Combined with employment rates of 98.0% (Cornell University) 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 $183,000 compared to $120,000, a difference of $63,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.