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Fordham University vs University of Notre Dame

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.

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

The short version

  • =About the same placement. 47.9% of Fordham's Class of 2025 and 47.0% of Notre Dame's went to BigLaw or federal clerkships.
  • Notre Dame costs about $56K less over three years after the average scholarship: $206K against $262K, and more of its students get a scholarship (92% vs 87%).
  • Notre Dame is harder to get into: a 170 median LSAT and a 16.1% acceptance rate, against 168 and 16.2% at Fordham.
  • Fordham has the higher first time bar pass rate: 90.8% against 89.4%.
Fordham
vs
Notre Dame

Where graduates go

Fordham leads 3 of 5

✓47.9%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
47.0%
✓44.8%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
30.5%
3.1%
Federal clerkships
✓16.5%
91.7%
Graduates employed
✓97.6%
✓90.8%
First time bar passage
89.4%

What it costs

Notre Dame leads 3 of 4

$262K
Three year net cost
✓$206K
87%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓92%
✓$35,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
$30,000/yr
$29,405/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
✓$31,395/yr

Who gets in

Acceptance rate: Fordham 16.2% · Notre Dame 16.1%

LSAT

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

Fordham
165168170
Notre Dame
166170171
162164166168170172174

GPA

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

Fordham
3.603.793.88
Notre Dame
3.783.893.95
3.553.653.753.853.95

Frequently asked questions

Is Fordham or Notre Dame better for BigLaw?
Fordham placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 47.9% against 47.0%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Fordham placed 44.8% and Notre Dame placed 30.5%. Federal clerkships were 3.1% at Fordham and 16.5% at Notre Dame.
Which is harder to get into, Fordham or Notre Dame?
Fordham's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 168 and a median GPA of 3.79, with a 16.2% acceptance rate. Notre Dame's had 170 and 3.89, with 16.1%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Fordham or Notre Dame?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $262K at Fordham and $206K at Notre Dame, 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, Fordham or Notre Dame?
87% of Fordham students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $35,000 a year among recipients. 92% of Notre Dame students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $30,000 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
90.8% of Fordham's first time takers passed in 2025, against 89.4% at Notre Dame. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Fordham or Notre Dame?
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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