Head-to-head · 26 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 96% chose WUSTL. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 26 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 UIUC
Median scholarship (chose UIUC)
Median scholarship (chose WUSTL)
View all-time (129 cross-admits)
Trend · UIUC'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 UIUC vs WUSTL
Across 26 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 4% enrolled at University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign and 96% at Washington University in St. Louis. The split has shifted -100 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 Illinois—Urbana Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 26 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 26 applicants admitted to both schools, 96% chose to attend Washington University in St. Louis. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Washington University in St. Louis is ranked #13 compared to #46 — a gap of 33 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: Washington University in St. Louis has a median LSAT of 175 compared to 166, a gap of 9 points. This suggests applicants to Washington University in St. Louis face a more competitive admissions pool.
Washington University in St. Louis is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 19.0% compared to University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign's 32.9%.
University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois, 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: Washington University in St. Louis places 39.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 28.1% for the other school. This 12 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign has lower tuition at $36,500 per year compared to $72,792. Combined with employment rates of 96.1% (UIUC) and 98.5% (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 $120,000 compared to $75,000, a difference of $45,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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