College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region

19 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,517 Legal Research Degrees Awarded
$90,143 Avg Early-Career Salary
Legal Research is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #114 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 19 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,517 degrees in legal research during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of legal research school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Legal Research School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Master's Degrees in Legal Research
Doctor's Degrees in Legal Research

The legal research school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Legal Research Schools in the Great Lakes Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

The schools below may not offer all types of legal research degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
353 Legal Research Degrees Awarded
70.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a degree in legal research. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 353 legal research students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Legal Research degree recipients from Northwestern University earn a boost of approximately $22,653 above the average income of legal research graduates.

More information about a degree in legal research from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
82 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in legal research. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 82 legal research students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in legal research from University of Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
278 Legal Research Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in legal research has to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. This university ranks 4th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 278 legal research students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. After graduating, legal research degree recipients usually make an average of $89,863 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in legal research from Loyola University Chicago

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
120 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

Case Western Reserve University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in legal research. Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were about 120 legal research students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in legal research from Case Western Reserve University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI
37 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 37 legal research students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in legal research from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IN
63.2% Growth in Graduates

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 19 legal research students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in legal research from University of Notre Dame

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
38 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 legal research students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in legal research from University of Wisconsin - Madison

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
98 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. This school ranks 9th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 98 legal research students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in legal research from Illinois Institute of Technology

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IN
34 Legal Research Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 34 legal research students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in legal research from Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,655 Median Starting Salary
$199,224 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Lansing, WMU-Cooley Law School is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were roughly 18 legal research students who graduated with this degree at WMU-Cooley Law School in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the legal research program earn about $43,655 for their early career.

More information about a degree in legal research from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School

Explore the best legal research schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan32250
Ohio314183
Illinois304381
Indiana29477
Wisconsin27320

View All Rankings >

Legal Research is one of 4 different types of Legal Professions programs to choose from.

MajorAnnual Graduates
Programs for Foreign Lawyers437
General Advanced Legal Research/Studies270
Health Law209
Other Legal Research & Advanced Professional Studies152
American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence128
Tax Law/Taxation110
Banking, Corporate, Finance, & Securities Law89
International Business, Trade, & Tax Law68
Intellectual Property Law35
International Law & Legal Studies7

View All Legal Research Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Law5,018
Legal Support Services2,067
Non-Professional General Legal Studies460
Legal Professions (Other)352

View All Legal Research Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options