Head-to-head · 72 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 82% chose UMich. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 72 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 UMich
Median scholarship (chose UMich)
Median scholarship (chose NU)
View all-time (293 cross-admits)
Trend · UMich'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 UMich vs NU
Across 72 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 82% enrolled at University of Michigan and 18% at Northwestern University. The split has shifted +17 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 Michigan and Northwestern University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 72 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 72 applicants admitted to both schools, 82% chose to attend University of Michigan. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
Both schools are closely ranked in U.S. News: #9 and #9, separated by just 0 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
University of Michigan is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while Northwestern University is in Evanston, Illinois. 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: Northwestern University places 64.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 50.3% for the other school. This 14 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Michigan offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $120,000, a difference of $15,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.