Head-to-head · 34 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 65% chose UWisconsin. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 34 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 UofI
Median scholarship (chose UofI)
Median scholarship (chose UWisconsin)
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Trend · UofI'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 UofI vs UWisconsin
Across 34 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 35% enrolled at University of Iowa and 65% at University of Wisconsin. The split has shifted -33 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 Iowa and University of Wisconsin across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 34 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 34 applicants admitted to both schools, 65% chose to attend University of Wisconsin. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Wisconsin is ranked #26 compared to #32 — a gap of 6 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Wisconsin is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 19.1% compared to University of Iowa's 44.3%.
University of Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa, while University of Wisconsin is in Madison, Wisconsin. 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 $36,526. Combined with employment rates of 97.5% (UofI) and 96.1% (UWisconsin), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Wisconsin offered a median scholarship of $138,000 compared to $110,000, a difference of $28,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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