Head-to-head · 39 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 100% chose UT. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 39 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
Median scholarship (chose UT)
Median scholarship (chose UH)
View all-time (143 cross-admits)
Trend · UT's share
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2025 ABA 509Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2024 ABA EmploymentCross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesOverview
About UT vs UH
Across 39 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 100% enrolled at University of Texas at Austin and 0% at University of Houston.
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 Texas at Austin and University of Houston across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 39 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 39 applicants admitted to both schools, 100% chose to attend University of Texas at Austin. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Texas at Austin is ranked #16 compared to #54 — a gap of 38 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Texas at Austin has a median LSAT of 172 compared to 163, a gap of 9 points. This suggests applicants to University of Texas at Austin face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Texas at Austin is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 14.0% compared to University of Houston's 23.0%.
Both schools are located in Texas — University of Texas at Austin in Austin and University of Houston in Houston — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Texas at Austin places 42.5% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 22.3% for the other school. This 20 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Texas at Austin offered a median scholarship of $57,000 compared to $39,750, a difference of $17,250 that may factor into enrollment decisions.