Head-to-head · 36 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 69% chose NU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 36 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 UT)
View all-time (112 cross-admits)
Trend · NU'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 NU vs UT
Across 36 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 69% enrolled at Northwestern University and 31% at University of Texas at Austin. The split has shifted -7 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 Texas at Austin across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 36 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 36 applicants admitted to both schools, 69% 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 #16 — a gap of 7 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois, while University of Texas at Austin is in Austin, Texas. 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 67.4% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 28 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Texas at Austin has lower tuition at $38,236 per year compared to $79,772. Combined with employment rates of 97.3% (NU) and 99.4% (UT), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Northwestern University offered a median scholarship of $120,000 compared to $105,644, a difference of $14,356 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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