Head-to-head · 48 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 75% chose UMN. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 48 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 UMN
Median scholarship (chose UMN)
Median scholarship (chose UofI)
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Trend · UMN's share
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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
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About UMN vs UofI
Across 48 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 75% enrolled at University of Minnesota and 25% at University of Iowa. The split has shifted +4 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 University of Minnesota and University of Iowa across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 48 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 48 applicants admitted to both schools, 75% chose to attend University of Minnesota. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Minnesota is ranked #22 compared to #32 — a gap of 10 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Minnesota has a median LSAT of 171 compared to 164, a gap of 7 points. This suggests applicants to University of Minnesota face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Minnesota is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 26.7% compared to University of Iowa's 44.3%.
University of Minnesota is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while University of Iowa is in Iowa City, Iowa. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
On cost, University of Iowa has lower tuition at $30,944 per year compared to $51,440. Combined with employment rates of 95.2% (UMN) and 93.8% (UofI), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Iowa offered a median scholarship of $107,006 compared to $90,000, a difference of $17,006 that may factor into enrollment decisions.