Head-to-head · 24 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 96% chose USC. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 24 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 UCI
Median scholarship (chose UCI)
Median scholarship (chose USC)
View all-time (56 cross-admits)
Trend · UCI'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 UCI vs USC
Across 24 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 4% enrolled at University of California—Irvine and 96% at University of Southern California. The split has shifted -60 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 California—Irvine and University of Southern California across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 24 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 24 applicants admitted to both schools, 96% chose to attend University of Southern California. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Southern California is ranked #26 compared to #34 — a gap of 8 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Both schools are located in California — University of California—Irvine in Irvine and University of Southern California in Los Angeles — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Southern California places 58.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 27.7% for the other school. This 31 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of California—Irvine has lower tuition at $59,080 per year compared to $84,034. Combined with employment rates of 93.5% (UCI) and 96.9% (USC), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
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