Head-to-head · 70 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 87% chose YLS. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 70 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 YLS
Typical aid · ABA 509 · 2025
per yearCross-admits who enrolled · self-reported, 3-yr award
View all-time (265 cross-admits)
Trend · YLS's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 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 YLS vs SLS
Across 70 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 87% enrolled at Yale University and 13% at Stanford University. The split has shifted -7 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 Yale University and Stanford University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 70 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 70 applicants admitted to both schools, 87% chose to attend Yale University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
Both schools are closely ranked in U.S. News: #1 and #2, separated by just 1 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
Yale University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 4.1% compared to Stanford University's 6.1%.
Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, while Stanford University is in Stanford, California. 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: Stanford University places 45.3% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 31.3% for the other school. This 14 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
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