Head-to-head · 40 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 95% chose NYU. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 40 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 WUSTL)
View all-time (119 cross-admits)
Trend · NYU's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
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 NYU vs WUSTL
Across 40 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 95% enrolled at New York University and 5% at Washington University in St. Louis. The split has shifted +17 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 Washington University in St. Louis across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 40 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 40 applicants admitted to both schools, 95% chose to attend New York University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, New York University is ranked #7 compared to #13 — a gap of 6 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
New York University is located in New York City, New York, while Washington University in St. Louis is in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: New York University places 54.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 15 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Washington University in St. Louis has lower tuition at $72,792 per year compared to $83,952. Combined with employment rates of 92.9% (NYU) and 96.8% (WUSTL), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Washington University in St. Louis offered a median scholarship of $182,875 compared to $91,000, a difference of $91,875 that may factor into enrollment decisions.