Head-to-head · 74 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 99% chose HLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 74 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 UT)
View all-time (242 cross-admits)
Trend · HLS'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 HLS vs UT
Across 74 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 99% enrolled at Harvard University and 1% at University of Texas at Austin. The split has shifted +20 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 University of Texas at Austin across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 74 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 74 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.
In the U.S. News rankings, Harvard University is ranked #6 compared to #16 — a gap of 10 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Harvard University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 9.2% compared to University of Texas at Austin's 14.0%.
Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while University of Texas at Austin is in Austin, Texas. 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 53.5% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 14 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Texas at Austin has lower tuition at $38,236 per year compared to $77,100. Combined with employment rates of 96.7% (HLS) and 99.4% (UT), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Harvard University offered a median scholarship of $110,625 compared to $84,000, a difference of $26,625 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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