2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research (Income $30-$48k)
95
Ranked Colleges
6,874
Degrees Awarded
$6,700
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Legal Research is the 114th most popular major in the country with 6,874 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, legal research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $66,544 and had an average of $26,000 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 95 colleges that offered a degree in legal research. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality legal research 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 legal research program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 95 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 67 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $1,396 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Harvard University Legal Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,581 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Legal Research at Stanford University
Out of the 95 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 29 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,777 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UChicago.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Legal Research at UChicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 105 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
Columbia also took the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $4,699 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Legal Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 317 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgetown also made our “Best Legal Research Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $9,871 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Georgetown University Legal Research Report
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Legal Research Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of Pennsylvania
Northwestern University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 106 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern also took the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $917 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 97%.
Read more about Legal Research at Northwestern
Washington University in St Louis landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 370 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
WUSTL also took the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,446 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washington University in St Louis.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Legal Research at WUSTL
University of Florida came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 92 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $30-$48k list, UF has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,857 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UF.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of Florida
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $5,670 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Legal Research Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $4,652 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Vanderbilt University Legal Research Report
Wake Forest University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 67 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $30-$48k list, Wake Forest University has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $5,612 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Wake Forest University Legal Research Report
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 125 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. It costs about $9,999 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Legal Research at UC Berkeley
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $6,399 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 more about Legal Research at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 41 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,061 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at Indiana University - Bloomington
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 25 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,788 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Full UW - Madison Legal Research Report
Emory University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 73 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Emory University is $8,976 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Emory Legal Research Report
Florida State University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 129 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $7,349 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Read full report on Legal Research at Florida State
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,891 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Legal Research at UCLA
Boston University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 118 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $11,782 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Boston University Legal Research Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $10,063 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 97%.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of Virginia - Main Campus
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 95 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $8,216 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Full IUPUI Legal Research Report
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $10,628 for Legal Research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at Arizona State University - Tempe
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,609 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Legal Research Report
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 354 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,345 for legal research students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Read more about Legal Research at University of Southern California
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