Head-to-head · 79 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 54% chose SLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 79 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 HLS
Median scholarship (chose HLS)
Median scholarship (chose SLS)
View all-time (359 cross-admits)
Trend · HLS's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
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 HLS vs SLS
Across 79 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 46% enrolled at Harvard University and 54% at Stanford University. The split has shifted -47 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 Harvard University and Stanford University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 79 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 79 applicants admitted to both schools, 54% chose to attend Stanford University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Stanford University is ranked #1 compared to #6 — a gap of 5 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Stanford University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 6.1% compared to Harvard University's 9.2%.
Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while Stanford University is in Stanford, California. 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: Harvard University places 51.4% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 40.2% for the other school. This 11 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Stanford University offered a median scholarship of $174,500 compared to $115,255, a difference of $59,245 that may factor into enrollment decisions.