College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research in California (With Aid)

9 Ranked Colleges
1,054 Degrees Awarded
$25,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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.

Across California, there were 1,054 legal research graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,122 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in legal research. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great legal research programs and cost less that 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Legal Research Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid.

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 20 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also took the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,894 for California Legal Research students with aid per year to attend Stanford.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Legal Research at Stanford University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 125 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,032 for california legal research students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of California - Berkeley Legal Research Report

3

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,023 for California Legal Research students with aid per year to attend UCLA.

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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Legal Research Report

4

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 22 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Irvine is $12,209 for california legal research students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Legal Research at University of California - Irvine

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also took the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,768 for California Legal Research students with aid per year to attend UC Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Research at University of California - Davis

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 354 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal research students with aid list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $32,569 for california legal research students with aid.

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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Research at USC

7
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USD is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 38 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

USD also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend USD is $34,139 for California Legal Research students with aid.

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 full report on Legal Research at University of San Diego

8
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Santa Clara University is a medium-sized school located in Santa Clara, California that handed out 17 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal research students with aid list, SCU has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Santa Clara University is $42,614 for California Legal Research students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Santa Clara University Legal Research Report

9
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for california legal research students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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 Chapman University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options