2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region
14
Ranked Colleges
2,081
Degrees Awarded
$21,300
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.
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 the Plains States region, there were 2,081 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,717 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in law. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality law programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the law program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 the Plains States Region” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Law in the Plains States Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region. Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region law students list, Drake has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $29,903 for Plains States Region Law students per year to attend Drake University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at Drake University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Creighton University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 103 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
Creighton also took the #7 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Creighton is $31,218 for Plains States Region Law 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read more about Law at Creighton
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region. UNL is a public institution located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UNL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $17,013 for plains states region law students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Law at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. USD is located in Vermillion, South Dakota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
USD also made our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend USD is $19,389 for Plains States Region Law students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 USD
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Dakota landed the #5 spot on the list. Grand Forks, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s law degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
UND not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UND is $16,966 for plains states region law students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Law at University of North Dakota
University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. UST MN is a medium-sized school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 144 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UST MN, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $31,066 for Plains States Region Law students per year to attend University of St Thomas Minnesota.
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 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%.
Read full report on Law at UST MN
University of Kansas landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
KU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for KU is $20,257 for plains states region law students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Law at KU
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 227 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $17,878 for Plains States Region Law students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Law Report
With a ranking of #9, Washburn University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Topeka, Kansas, this medium-sized public school awarded 100 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
Washburn University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,339 for Plains States Region Law students per year to attend Washburn University.
Read full report on Law at Washburn University
With a ranking of #10, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of Missouri - Columbia is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
Mizzou also made our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $16,559 for Plains States Region Law students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at University of Missouri - Columbia
University of Iowa landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 137 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,401 for Plains States Region Law students per year to attend Iowa.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Iowa Law Report
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 121 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
UMKC also took the #11 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,702 for Plains States Region Law students per year to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Missouri - Kansas City
Mitchell Hamline School of Law landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Mitchell Hamline School of Law is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 322 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region law students list, Mitchell Hamline has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, 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 more about Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Washington University in St Louis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region list. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 243 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also took the #1 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington University in St Louis is $26,921 for Plains States Region Law students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full WUSTL 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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