2023 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k) in California
13
Ranked Colleges
4,128
Degrees Awarded
$17,700
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 36,216 people earned their degree in law, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, law graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $64,466 and had an average of $19,500 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 4,128 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $67,324 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree 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.
More Ways to Rank Law Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 184 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,233 for california law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at Stanford University
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 327 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,450 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 full report on Law at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 342 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
UCLA also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $9,037 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
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 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Law Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 210 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,540 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Irvine.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 94%.
Full University of California - Irvine Law Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 201 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california law students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of California - Davis Law Report
With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 193 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.3% 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 full report on Law at USC
Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 217 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students whose families make $0-$30k list, SCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Santa Clara University is $26,428 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full SCU Law Report
University of San Diego came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 227 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
USD also took the #8 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,951 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of San Diego.
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%.
Read more about Law at University of San Diego
Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Humphreys University is a small school located in Stockton, California that handed out 15 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Humphreys University also took the #19 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is $10,111 for california law students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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 full report on Law at Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses
With a ranking of #10, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 180 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. It costs about $22,792 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of the Pacific.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 full report on Law at University of the Pacific
With a ranking of #11, University of La Verne did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in La Verne, California, and it awarded 84 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
ULV also took the #15 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ULV is $28,256 for california law students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read full report on Law at ULV
Loyola Marymount University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 305 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $32,730 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola Marymount.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read full report on Law at Loyola Marymount University
With a ranking of #13, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 145 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $34,946 for California Law students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Law at Chapman University
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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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