Head-to-head · 53 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 68% chose UMN. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 53 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 UWisconsin)
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Trend · UMN's share
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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 UMN vs UWisconsin
Across 53 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 68% enrolled at University of Minnesota and 32% at University of Wisconsin. The split has shifted +11 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 Wisconsin across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 53 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 53 applicants admitted to both schools, 68% chose to attend University of Minnesota. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
Both schools are closely ranked in U.S. News: #22 and #26, separated by just 4 positions, making cross-admit data especially useful for deciding between them.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: University of Minnesota has a median LSAT of 171 compared to 167, a gap of 4 points. This suggests applicants to University of Minnesota face a more competitive admissions pool.
University of Minnesota is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 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.
On cost, University of Wisconsin has lower tuition at $36,526 per year compared to $51,440. Combined with employment rates of 95.2% (UMN) and 93.5% (UWisconsin), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Wisconsin offered a median scholarship of $137,498 compared to $82,500, a difference of $54,998 that may factor into enrollment decisions.