Head-to-head · 112 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 96% chose UPenn. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 112 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 GULC
Median scholarship (chose GULC)
Median scholarship (chose UPenn)
View all-time (365 cross-admits)
Trend · GULC's share
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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 GULC vs UPenn
Across 112 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 4% enrolled at Georgetown University and 96% at University of Pennsylvania. The split has shifted +6 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 Georgetown University and University of Pennsylvania across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 112 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 112 applicants admitted to both schools, 96% chose to attend University of Pennsylvania. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #4 compared to #18 — a gap of 14 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Pennsylvania is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 8.1% compared to Georgetown University's 15.8%.
Georgetown University is located in Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., while University of Pennsylvania is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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: University of Pennsylvania places 67.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 54.9% for the other school. This 12 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Pennsylvania has lower tuition at $78,348 per year compared to $83,576. Combined with employment rates of 96.2% (GULC) and 99.2% (UPenn), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Pennsylvania offered a median scholarship of $141,000 compared to $120,000, a difference of $21,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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