Head-to-head · 77 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 93% chose UVA. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 77 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 UVA)
View all-time (187 cross-admits)
Trend · UT's share
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Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509Financial
Sticker price and scholarship aid 2025 ABA 509Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2025 ABA EmploymentCross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesOverview
About UT vs UVA
Across 77 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 7% enrolled at University of Texas at Austin and 93% at University of Virginia. The split has shifted -20 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 Texas at Austin and University of Virginia across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 77 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 77 applicants admitted to both schools, 94% chose to attend University of Virginia. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, University of Virginia is ranked #4 compared to #16 — a gap of 12 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas, while University of Virginia is in Charlottesville, Virginia. 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 Virginia places 64.0% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 39.3% for the other school. This 25 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, University of Texas at Austin has lower tuition at $38,236 per year compared to $74,078. Combined with employment rates of 99.4% (UT) and 98.7% (UVA), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Virginia offered a median scholarship of $120,000 compared to $84,000, a difference of $36,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.
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