by our College Data Analytics Team
[Law](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/law/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a law degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 6 schools on the early-career earnings of their law graduates.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send law graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Georgetown University earned the #1 spot for highest-paid law graduates in District of Columbia. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Law graduates of Georgetown University earn a median of about $163,738 a year early in their careers.
George Washington University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in law, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Law graduates of George Washington University earn a median of about $142,941 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes Catholic University Of America one of the highest-paying schools for law. Located in the city of Washington, Catholic University Of America is a private not-for-profit institution. Law graduates of Catholic University Of America earn a median of about $118,594 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in law will find them at Howard University, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Washington, Howard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career law graduates from Howard University make a median of around $105,202 per year.
A rank of #5 makes American University one of the highest-paying schools for law. Set in the city of Washington, American University is a private not-for-profit institution. Law graduates of American University earn a median of about $112,063 a year early in their careers.
University Of The District Of Columbia placed #6 among the highest-paying schools for law. University Of The District Of Columbia is a public school located in the city of Washington. After graduating, law degree recipients from University Of The District Of Columbia typically earn about $59,595 annually.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their law graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 6 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.