Head-to-head · 35 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 91% chose NU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 35 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 NU
Median scholarship (chose NU)
Median scholarship (chose UMN)
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Trend · NU'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 NU vs UMN
Across 35 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 91% enrolled at Northwestern University and 9% at University of Minnesota. The split has shifted -8 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 Northwestern University and University of Minnesota across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 35 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 35 applicants admitted to both schools, 91% chose to attend Northwestern University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Northwestern University is ranked #9 compared to #22 — a gap of 13 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Northwestern University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 12.3% compared to University of Minnesota's 26.7%.
Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois, while University of Minnesota is in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 16.1% for the other school. This 48 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Minnesota has lower tuition at $51,440 per year compared to $79,772. Combined with employment rates of 95.6% (NU) and 95.2% (UMN), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Minnesota offered a median scholarship of $143,466 compared to $120,000, a difference of $23,466 that may factor into enrollment decisions.