Head-to-head · 72 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 50% 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 UCBerkeley)
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Trend · UMich'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 UMich vs UCBerkeley
Across 72 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 50% enrolled at University of Michigan and 50% at University of California—Berkeley. The split has shifted -10 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 California—Berkeley 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, 50% chose to attend University of California—Berkeley. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Michigan is ranked #9 compared to #16 — a gap of 7 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Michigan is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 8.6% compared to University of California—Berkeley's 14.8%.
University of Michigan is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while University of California—Berkeley is in Berkeley, California. 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 California—Berkeley has lower tuition at $62,532 per year compared to $76,108. Combined with employment rates of 97.7% (UMich) and 97.9% (UCBerkeley), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
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.
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