Head-to-head · 65 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 95% chose UT. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 65 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 UT
Median scholarship (chose UT)
Median scholarship (chose SMU)
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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
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Overview
About UT vs SMU
Across 65 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 95% enrolled at University of Texas at Austin and 5% at Southern Methodist 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.
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Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of Texas at Austin and Southern Methodist University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 65 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 65 applicants admitted to both schools, 95% chose to attend University of Texas at Austin. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Texas at Austin is ranked #16 compared to #42 — a gap of 26 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Texas at Austin has a median LSAT of 172 compared to 167, a gap of 5 points. This suggests applicants to University of Texas at Austin face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Texas at Austin is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 14.0% compared to Southern Methodist University's 24.6%.
Both schools are located in Texas — University of Texas at Austin in Austin and Southern Methodist University in Dallas — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Texas at Austin places 42.5% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 27.9% for the other school. This 15 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Southern Methodist University offered a median scholarship of $108,000 compared to $60,000, a difference of $48,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.