2024 Best Value Law Schools in California
19
Ranked Colleges
4,128
Degrees Awarded
$26,000
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Law Schools in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 36,216 people earned their degree in law, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 4,128 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Law Schools in California” ranking looked at 19 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in law. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality law programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the law program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Law Schools in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Law Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Law Schools in California.
Top 19 Best Value Colleges for Law in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Law Schools in California. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s law degrees to 327 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for California Law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Berkeley Law Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Law Schools in California. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 342 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for California Law students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Law Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 210 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $12,209 for california law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Law Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 201 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Law at UC Davis
Out of the 19 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Thomas Jefferson School of Law landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in San Diego, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 47 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, Thomas Jefferson School of Law has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 305 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount also took the #6 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Marymount University is $44,467 for California Law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at Loyola Marymount University
With a ranking of #7, Golden Gate University - San Francisco did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 169 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Golden Gate University - San Francisco, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Law at Golden Gate University - San Francisco
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking, coming in at #8. Santa Clara, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s law degrees to 217 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $42,614 for california law students per year to attend SCU.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at SCU
University of La Verne landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. University of La Verne is a medium-sized school located in La Verne, California that handed out 84 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, ULV has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ULV is $28,260 for california law students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full ULV Law Report
University of San Diego ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. USD is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 227 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USD is $34,139 for California Law students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full USD Law Report
Trinity Law School came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. Trinity Law School is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Ana, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity Law School also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #17.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Trinity Law School Law Report
With a ranking of #12, California Western School of Law did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. California Western School of Law is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
California Western did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Law at California Western
With a ranking of #13, Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. Stockton, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s law degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, Humphreys University has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,075 for California Law students per year to attend Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at Humphreys University
Southwestern Law School landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 227 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Southwestern Law School not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Southwestern Law School Law Report
Chapman University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 145 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. It costs about $44,198 for california law students per year to attend Chapman University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full Chapman University Law Report
University of California - Hastings College of Law ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. University of California - Hastings College of Law is a small public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 284 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Hastings not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at UC Hastings
With a ranking of #17, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 180 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Pacific also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of the Pacific is $28,380 for California Law students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at University of the Pacific
Stanford University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 184 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,894 for California Law students per year to attend Stanford University.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Law at Stanford
University of Southern California came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 193 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $32,569 for california law students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full University of Southern California Law Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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