Head-to-head · 39 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 72% chose UWisconsin. 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
Chose UIUC
Median scholarship (chose UIUC)
Median scholarship (chose UWisconsin)
View all-time (87 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 UWisconsin
Across 39 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 28% enrolled at University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign and 72% at University of Wisconsin. The split has shifted -67 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 University of Wisconsin 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, 72% chose to attend University of Wisconsin. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Wisconsin is ranked #26 compared to #46 — a gap of 20 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Wisconsin is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 19.1% compared to University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign's 32.9%.
University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois, while University of Wisconsin is in Madison, Wisconsin. 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: University of Illinois—Urbana Champaign places 28.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 12.9% for the other school. This 15 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Wisconsin offered a median scholarship of $150,000 compared to $135,000, a difference of $15,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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