Head-to-head · 17 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 77% chose UMN. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 17 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 UMN
Median scholarship (chose UMN)
Median scholarship (chose St. Thomas (Minnesota))
View all-time (39 cross-admits)
Trend · UMN's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
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
University of Michigan
65
University of Wisconsin
53
University of Iowa
48
George Washington University
45
Georgetown University
39
University of Minnesota
17
Overview
About UMN vs St. Thomas (Minnesota)
Across 17 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 77% enrolled at University of Minnesota and 23% at University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). The split has shifted -13 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 Minnesota and University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes using official ABA 509 disclosures.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Minnesota is ranked #22 compared to #105 — a gap of 83 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Minnesota has a median LSAT of 171 compared to 159, a gap of 12 points. This suggests applicants to University of Minnesota face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Minnesota is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 26.7% compared to University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)'s 57.6%.
Both schools are located in Minnesota — University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) in Minneapolis — meaning graduates often compete in the same regional legal market.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: University of Minnesota places 16.1% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 2.5% for the other school. This 14 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) offered a median scholarship of $140,000 compared to $60,000, a difference of $80,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.