Head-to-head · 44 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 61% chose UCHastings. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 44 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 UCHastings
Median scholarship (chose UCHastings)
Median scholarship (chose USD)
View all-time (108 cross-admits)
Trend · UCHastings's share
Lowest cycle
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Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2024 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2024 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2021 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About UCHastings vs USD
Across 44 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 61% enrolled at University of California (Hastings) and 39% at University of San Diego. The split has shifted -57 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 (Hastings) and University of San Diego across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 44 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 44 applicants admitted to both schools, 61% chose to attend University of California (Hastings). This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of San Diego is ranked #54 compared to #85 — a gap of 31 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of San Diego is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 23.5% compared to University of California (Hastings)'s 37.5%.
Both schools are located in California — University of California (Hastings) in San Francisco and University of San Diego in San Diego — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
On cost, University of California (Hastings) has lower tuition at $49,383 per year compared to $66,950. Combined with employment rates of 51.3% (UCHastings) and 90.8% (USD), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of San Diego offered a median scholarship of $90,000 compared to $75,000, a difference of $15,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.