2024 Best Value Law Schools in California
19
Ranked Colleges
4,128
Degrees Awarded
$26,000
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Law Schools in California” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer a degree in law. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great law programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the law program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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
The colleges and universities below are the best for california law students.
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. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 327 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $16,032 for california law students per year to attend UC Berkeley.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Berkeley Law Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 342 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 UCLA 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 - Irvine landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - 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 also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $12,209 for California Law students per year to attend UC 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%. 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 University of California - Irvine Law Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 201 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,768 for california law students per year to attend University of California - Davis.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 - Davis Law Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Thomas Jefferson School of Law. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Law Schools in California. Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 full report on Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. Loyola Marymount is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 305 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. It costs about $44,467 for California Law students per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 more about Law at Loyola Marymount
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.
Golden Gate University - San Francisco also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #13.
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 more about Law at Golden Gate University - San Francisco
Santa Clara University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. SCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Clara, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 217 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SCU is $42,614 for California Law students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California 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 University of La Verne is $28,260 for california law students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at University of La Verne
University of San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s law degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.
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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read full report on Law at University of San Diego
With a ranking of #11, Trinity Law School did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. Trinity Law School is located in Santa Ana, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trinity Law School, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Trinity Law School Law Report
California Western School of Law landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s law degrees to 207 students in 2020-2021.
California Western also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.
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 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Western School of Law Law Report
Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Stockton, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humphreys University, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is $12,075 for California Law students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses Law Report
Southwestern Law School landed the #14 spot on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 227 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california law students list, Southwestern Law School has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in California list. Chapman University is a medium-sized school located in Orange, California that handed out 145 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman is $44,198 for California Law students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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 full report on Law at Chapman
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Hastings College of Law did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. UC Hastings is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 284 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
UC Hastings did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Law Schools in California” list.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read full report on Law at UC Hastings
University of the Pacific came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in California ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 180 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Law Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,380 for california law students.
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 Pacific
With a ranking of #18, Stanford University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Law Schools in California list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s law degrees to 184 students 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. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $12,894 for California Law students.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
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. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 193 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Law Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $32,569 for California Law students per year to attend University of Southern California.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read more about Law at USC
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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.
