2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region
18
Ranked Colleges
1,203
Degrees Awarded
$24,700
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 Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 6,874 people earned their degree in legal research, making the major the 114th most popular in the United States. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 1,203 legal research graduates with average earnings and debt of $73,396 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer 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
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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region legal research students.
Top 18 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research in the Far Western US Region
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Golden Gate University - San Francisco landed the #1 spot on the list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Golden Gate University - San Francisco, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at Golden Gate University - San Francisco
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Seattle University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region. Located in Seattle, Washington, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
Seattle U also took the #16 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Seattle U is $35,109 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students.
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. 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 more about Legal Research at Seattle University
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Thomas Jefferson School of Law landed the #3 spot on the list. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region legal research students list, USD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for USD is $34,139 for far western us region legal research students.
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%.
Full University of San Diego Legal Research Report
Out of the 18 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 100 degrees to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $12,017 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at UW Seattle
With a ranking of #6, Santa Clara University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 17 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
SCU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $42,614 for far western us region legal research students per year to attend Santa Clara University.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Legal Research at SCU
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 43 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for far western us region legal research students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $16,032 for far western us region legal research students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Berkeley Legal Research Report
California Western School of Law did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #9. California Western is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 103 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
California Western also took the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Legal Research at California Western School of Law
University of California - Irvine came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $12,209 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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%.
Full UC Irvine Legal Research Report
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 30 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,768 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students per year to attend University of California - 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%.
Full University of California - Davis Legal Research Report
University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 8 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNLV, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $10,993 for far western us region legal research students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at UNLV
With a ranking of #13, Chapman University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Chapman is a medium-sized school located in Orange, California that handed out 15 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region legal research students list, Chapman has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman is $44,198 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full Chapman University Legal Research Report
Willamette University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Willamette University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Salem, Oregon. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Willamette also took the #15 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Willamette University is $34,294 for Far Western US Region Legal Research students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full Willamette University Legal Research Report
University of the Pacific came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of the Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pacific, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $28,380 for far western us region legal research students per year to attend University of the Pacific.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of the Pacific
University of California - Hastings College of Law landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 22 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region legal research students list, UC Hastings has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Hastings Legal Research Report
Stanford University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 20 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $12,894 for far western us region legal research students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. 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 more about Legal Research at Stanford University
University of Southern California landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 354 students in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Legal Research Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $32,569 for far western us region legal research students.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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
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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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