Head-to-head · 165 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 99% chose HLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 165 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 Duke
Median scholarship (chose Duke)
Median scholarship (chose HLS)
View all-time (752 cross-admits)
Trend · Duke'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
Overview
About Duke vs HLS
Across 165 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 1% enrolled at Duke University and 99% at Harvard University. The split has shifted -5 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 Duke University and Harvard University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 165 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 165 applicants admitted to both schools, 99% chose to attend Harvard 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: #6 and #7, separated by just 1 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina, while Harvard University is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 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: Duke University places 70.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 53.5% for the other school. This 17 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Your study break just got better: follow @lawschooldata on Follow @lawschooldata on TikTok & Instagram