Head-to-head · 63 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 81% chose UC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 63 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 UC
Median scholarship (chose UC)
Median scholarship (chose UCBerkeley)
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Trend · UC'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 UC vs UCBerkeley
Across 63 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 81% enrolled at University of Chicago and 19% at University of California—Berkeley. The split has shifted +4 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 Chicago and University of California—Berkeley across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 63 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 63 applicants admitted to both schools, 81% chose to attend University of Chicago. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Chicago is ranked #2 compared to #16 — a gap of 14 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Chicago has a median LSAT of 174 compared to 170, a gap of 4 points. This suggests applicants to University of Chicago face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Chicago is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 9.7% compared to University of California—Berkeley's 14.8%.
University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois, while University of California—Berkeley is in Berkeley, California. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
On cost, University of California—Berkeley has lower tuition at $62,532 per year compared to $83,316. Combined with employment rates of 97.0% (UC) and 93.6% (UCBerkeley), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of California—Berkeley offered a median scholarship of $120,000 compared to $60,000, a difference of $60,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.