Head-to-head · 28 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 93% chose UCD. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 28 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 Santa)
View all-time (97 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 Santa
Across 28 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 93% enrolled at University of California—Davis and 7% at Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 28 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 28 applicants admitted to both schools, 93% 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 #150 — a gap of 98 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of California—Davis has a median LSAT of 165 compared to 159, a gap of 6 points. This suggests applicants to University of California—Davis face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of California—Davis is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 16.0% compared to Santa Clara University's 52.6%.
Both schools are located in California — University of California—Davis in Davis and Santa Clara University in Santa Clara — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
On cost, Santa Clara University has lower tuition at - per year compared to $57,460. Combined with employment rates of 89.3% (UCD) and 82.2% (Santa), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Santa Clara University offered a median scholarship of $135,000 compared to $75,000, a difference of $60,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.