Head-to-head · 59 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 68% chose UPenn. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 59 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 UPenn)
View all-time (273 cross-admits)
Trend · UMich'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 UMich vs UPenn
Across 59 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 32% enrolled at University of Michigan and 68% at University of Pennsylvania. The split has shifted -11 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 University of Pennsylvania across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 59 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 59 applicants admitted to both schools, 68% chose to attend University of Pennsylvania. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #4 compared to #9 — a gap of 5 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Michigan is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while University of Pennsylvania is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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: University of Pennsylvania places 67.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 54.5% for the other school. This 13 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
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