Head-to-head · 27 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 82% chose Fordham. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 27 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 Fordham
Median scholarship (chose Fordham)
Median scholarship (chose NUSL)
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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
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Overview
About Fordham vs NUSL
Across 27 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 82% enrolled at Fordham University and 18% at Northeastern University. 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 Fordham University and Northeastern University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 27 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 27 applicants admitted to both schools, 82% chose to attend Fordham University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Fordham University is ranked #42 compared to #77 — a gap of 35 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: Fordham University has a median LSAT of 168 compared to 164, a gap of 4 points. This suggests applicants to Fordham University face a more competitive admissions pool.
Fordham University is located in Bronx, New York, while Northeastern University is in Boston, 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: Fordham University places 42.2% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 19.6% for the other school. This 23 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Northeastern University has lower tuition at $65,652 per year compared to $78,078. Combined with employment rates of 94.9% (Fordham) and 91.1% (NUSL), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Northeastern University offered a median scholarship of $157,500 compared to $105,000, a difference of $52,500 that may factor into enrollment decisions.