Head-to-head · 37 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 59% chose Pittsburgh. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 37 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
Median scholarship (chose Duquesne University)
Median scholarship (chose Pittsburgh)
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Trend · Duquesne University's share
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Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 ABA 509Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2025 ABA EmploymentCross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesOverview
About Duquesne University vs Pittsburgh
Across 37 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 41% enrolled at Duquesne University and 59% at University of Pittsburgh. The split has shifted +13 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 Duquesne University and University of Pittsburgh across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 37 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 37 applicants admitted to both schools, 60% chose to attend University of Pittsburgh. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Pittsburgh is ranked #77 compared to #85 — a gap of 8 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Both schools are located in Pennsylvania — Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Pittsburgh places 15.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 5.3% for the other school. This 10 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Pittsburgh has lower tuition at $39,936 per year compared to $58,898. Combined with employment rates of 91.4% (Duquesne University) and 87.7% (Pittsburgh), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Duquesne University offered a median scholarship of $135,591 compared to $99,000, a difference of $36,591 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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