Head-to-head · 20 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 95% chose UCD. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 20 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 UCD
Median scholarship (chose UCD)
Median scholarship (chose Pacific (Mcgeorge))
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Trend · UCD's share
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2026 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2026 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 UCD vs Pacific (Mcgeorge)
Across 20 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 95% enrolled at University of California—Davis and 5% at University of the Pacific (Mcgeorge).
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 California—Davis and University of the Pacific (Mcgeorge) across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 20 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 20 applicants admitted to both schools, 95% chose to attend University of California—Davis. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of California—Davis is ranked #52 compared to #152 — a gap of 100 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Both schools are located in California — University of California—Davis in Davis and University of the Pacific (Mcgeorge) in Sacramento — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of California—Davis places 22.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 3.4% for the other school. This 19 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of the Pacific (Mcgeorge) offered a median scholarship of $157,500 compared to $79,500, a difference of $78,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.