Head-to-head · 15 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 93% chose UIUC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 15 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 UIUC
Median scholarship (chose UIUC)
Median scholarship (chose DePaul)
View all-time (56 cross-admits)
Trend · UIUC's share
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 UIUC vs DePaul
Across 15 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 93% enrolled at University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign and 7% at DePaul University.
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 Illinois—Urbana Champaign and DePaul University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes using official ABA 509 disclosures.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign is ranked #46 compared to #131 — a gap of 85 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign has a median LSAT of 166 compared to 158, a gap of 8 points. This suggests applicants to University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign face a more competitive admissions pool.
Both schools are located in Illinois — University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign in Champaign and DePaul University in Chicago — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign places 34.0% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 7.8% for the other school. This 26 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign has lower tuition at $36,500 per year compared to $55,328. Combined with employment rates of 96.6% (UIUC) and 86.6% (DePaul), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, DePaul University offered a median scholarship of $120,000 compared to $42,750, a difference of $77,250 that may factor into enrollment decisions.