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Columbia University vs University of Southern California

Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.

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Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.

The short version

  • Columbia places more graduates in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 74.2% of the Class of 2025, against 62.1% at Southern California.
  • Southern California costs about $66K less over three years after the average scholarship: $239K against $305K, and more of its students get a scholarship (95% vs 54%).
  • Columbia is harder to get into: a 173 median LSAT and a 11.8% acceptance rate, against 169 and 11.2% at Southern California.
Columbia
vs
Southern California

Where graduates go

Columbia leads 5 of 5

✓74.2%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
62.1%
✓70.1%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
58.6%
✓4.1%
Federal clerkships
3.5%
✓97.6%
Graduates employed
97.4%
✓94.7%
First time bar passage
94.1%

What it costs

Southern California leads 4 of 4

$305K
Three year net cost
✓$239K
54%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓95%
$32,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
✓$40,092/yr
$18,294/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
✓$38,654/yr

Who gets in

Acceptance rate: Columbia 11.8% · Southern California 11.2%

LSAT

Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.

Columbia
169173175
Southern California
165169170
162164166168170172174176178

GPA

Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.

Columbia
3.853.923.98
Southern California
3.733.913.97
3.653.753.853.954.05

Frequently asked questions

Is Columbia or Southern California better for BigLaw?
Columbia placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 74.2% against 62.1%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Columbia placed 70.1% and Southern California placed 58.6%. Federal clerkships were 4.1% at Columbia and 3.5% at Southern California.
Which is harder to get into, Columbia or Southern California?
Columbia's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 173 and a median GPA of 3.92, with a 11.8% acceptance rate. Southern California's had 169 and 3.91, with 11.2%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Columbia or Southern California?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $305K at Columbia and $239K at Southern California, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Columbia or Southern California?
54% of Columbia students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $32,000 a year among recipients. 95% of Southern California students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $40,092 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
94.7% of Columbia's first time takers passed in 2025, against 94.1% at Southern California. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Columbia or Southern California?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.

What a higher LSAT changes

Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.

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Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology

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