Head-to-head · 25 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 100% chose UCLA. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 25 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 UCLA
Median scholarship (chose UCLA)
Median scholarship (chose USD)
View all-time (67 cross-admits)
Trend · UCLA's share
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 UCLA vs USD
Across 25 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 100% enrolled at University of California—Los Angeles and 0% at University of San Diego.
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—Los Angeles and University of San Diego across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 25 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 25 applicants admitted to both schools, 100% chose to attend University of California—Los Angeles. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of California—Los Angeles is ranked #13 compared to #54 — a gap of 41 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of California—Los Angeles has a median LSAT of 171 compared to 163, a gap of 8 points. This suggests applicants to University of California—Los Angeles face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of California—Los Angeles is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 12.1% compared to University of San Diego's 23.5%.
Both schools are located in California — University of California—Los Angeles in Los Angeles and University of San Diego in San Diego — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of California—Los Angeles places 50.5% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 13.3% for the other school. This 37 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of California—Los Angeles has lower tuition at $59,084 per year compared to $66,950. Combined with employment rates of 94.4% (UCLA) 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 $163,425 compared to $45,000, a difference of $118,425 that may factor into enrollment decisions.