Head-to-head · 37 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 95% chose UCBerkeley. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 37 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 UCBerkeley
Median scholarship (chose UCBerkeley)
Median scholarship (chose Vandy)
View all-time (104 cross-admits)
Trend · UCBerkeley's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
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 UCBerkeley vs Vandy
Across 37 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 95% enrolled at University of California—Berkeley and 5% at Vanderbilt University. The split has shifted -14 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.
Looking at a different matchup? Browse all comparisons or run a custom pair from the index.
Compare another pair
Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares University of California—Berkeley and Vanderbilt University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 37 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 37 applicants admitted to both schools, 95% chose to attend University of California—Berkeley. 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: #12 and #16, separated by just 4 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
University of California—Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California, while Vanderbilt University is in Nashville, Tennessee. 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 $76,440. Combined with employment rates of 93.6% (UCBerkeley) and 94.6% (Vandy), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Vanderbilt University offered a median scholarship of $136,087 compared to $105,000, a difference of $31,087 that may factor into enrollment decisions.