Head-to-head · 22 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 82% chose Vandy. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 22 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 Vandy
Median scholarship (chose Vandy)
Median scholarship (chose WFU)
View all-time (56 cross-admits)
Trend · Vandy'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 Vandy vs WFU
Across 22 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 82% enrolled at Vanderbilt University and 18% at Wake Forest University. The split has shifted +15 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 Vanderbilt University and Wake Forest University across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 22 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 22 applicants admitted to both schools, 82% chose to attend Vanderbilt University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Vanderbilt University is ranked #12 compared to #30 — a gap of 18 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
There is a meaningful difference in admissions competitiveness: Vanderbilt University has a median LSAT of 170 compared to 166, a gap of 4 points. This suggests applicants to Vanderbilt University face a more competitive admissions pool.
Vanderbilt University is significantly more selective, with an acceptance rate of 13.3% compared to Wake Forest University's 24.6%.
Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee, while Wake Forest University is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 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: Vanderbilt University places 47.6% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 24.5% for the other school. This 23 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
On cost, Wake Forest University has lower tuition at $57,920 per year compared to $76,440. Combined with employment rates of 94.6% (Vandy) and 97.4% (WFU), prospective students should weigh the cost-to-outcome ratio carefully.
Among cross-admitted applicants, Wake Forest University offered a median scholarship of $129,000 compared to $89,865, a difference of $39,135 that may factor into enrollment decisions.