Head-to-head · 21 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 81% chose UCD. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 21 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 Pepperdine University)
View all-time (59 cross-admits)
Trend · UCD's share
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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 UCD vs Pepperdine University
Across 21 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 81% enrolled at University of California—Davis and 19% at Pepperdine University. The split has shifted -13 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 University of California—Davis and Pepperdine University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 21 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 21 applicants admitted to both schools, 81% 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, Pepperdine University is ranked #46 compared to #52 — a gap of 6 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 Pepperdine University in Malibu — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of California—Davis places 26.3% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 11.7% for the other school. This 15 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of California—Davis has lower tuition at $57,460 per year compared to $72,920. Combined with employment rates of 89.3% (UCD) and 93.9% (Pepperdine University), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.