Head-to-head · 46 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 100% chose UPenn. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 46 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 UPenn
Median scholarship (chose UPenn)
Median scholarship (chose Vandy)
View all-time (168 cross-admits)
Trend · UPenn'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 UPenn vs Vandy
Across 46 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 100% enrolled at University of Pennsylvania and 0% at Vanderbilt University.
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.
Looking at a different matchup? Browse all comparisons or run a custom pair from the index.
Compare another pair
Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 46 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 46 applicants admitted to both schools, 100% chose to attend University of Pennsylvania. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Pennsylvania is ranked #4 compared to #12 — a gap of 8 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Pennsylvania is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 8.1% compared to Vanderbilt University's 13.3%.
University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Vanderbilt University is in Nashville, Tennessee. 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: University of Pennsylvania places 64.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 47.6% for the other school. This 16 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Vanderbilt University offered a median scholarship of $153,000 compared to $135,000, a difference of $18,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.