by our College Data Analytics Team
[Law](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/law/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The highest-paying schools turn a law degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools to find where law graduates earn the most.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose law graduates go on to earn the most.
For graduate earnings in law, no school beat University Of Chicago this year. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Law graduates of University Of Chicago earn a median of about $308,354 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in law will find them at Northwestern University, which ranked #2. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Law graduates of Northwestern University earn a median of about $256,851 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in law will find them at Loyola University Chicago, which ranked #3. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Law graduates of Loyola University Chicago earn a median of about $125,944 a year early in their careers.
Strong graduate earnings at Illinois Institute Of Technology earned it the #4 place for law. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career law graduates from Illinois Institute Of Technology make a median of around $109,015 per year.
A rank of #5 makes Depaul University one of the highest-paying schools for law. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the law program here go on to a median salary of roughly $98,094.
Northern Illinois University placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for law. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Law graduates of Northern Illinois University earn a median of about $74,619 a year early in their careers.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying law schools. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public school located in the town of Carbondale. After graduating, law degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Carbondale typically earn about $75,561 annually.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries law graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 7 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.