Head-to-head · 42 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 86% chose UCBerkeley. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 42 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 WUSTL)
View all-time (103 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 WUSTL
Across 42 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 86% enrolled at University of California—Berkeley and 14% at Washington University in St. Louis.
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 Washington University in St. Louis across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 42 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 42 applicants admitted to both schools, 86% 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: #13 and #16, separated by just 3 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: Washington University in St. Louis has a median LSAT of 175 compared to 170, a gap of 5 points. This suggests applicants to Washington University in St. Louis face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of California—Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California, while Washington University in St. Louis is in St. Louis, Missouri. 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: University of California—Berkeley places 52.2% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 13 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of California—Berkeley has lower tuition at $62,532 per year compared to $72,792. Combined with employment rates of 93.6% (UCBerkeley) and 96.8% (WUSTL), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Washington University in St. Louis offered a median scholarship of $174,750 compared to $120,000, a difference of $54,750 that may factor into enrollment decisions.