Head-to-head · 113 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 61% chose UPenn. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 113 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 NYU
Median scholarship (chose NYU)
Median scholarship (chose UPenn)
View all-time (402 cross-admits)
Trend · NYU'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 NYU vs UPenn
Across 113 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 39% enrolled at New York University and 61% at University of Pennsylvania. The split has shifted -22 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 New York University and University of Pennsylvania across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 113 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 113 applicants admitted to both schools, 61% chose to attend University of Pennsylvania. 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: #4 and #7, separated by just 3 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
University of Pennsylvania is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 8.1% compared to New York University's 13.4%.
New York University is located in New York City, New York, 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.
On cost, University of Pennsylvania has lower tuition at $78,348 per year compared to $83,952. Combined with employment rates of 99.3% (NYU) and 99.2% (UPenn), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Pennsylvania offered a median scholarship of $133,000 compared to $105,000, a difference of $28,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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