2026 Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Master’s Degree Schools
[Legal Assistant/Paralegal](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/legal-support-services/legal-assistant-paralegal/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong legal assistant/paralegal education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 530 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for legal assistant/paralegal students.
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2026 Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools in the United States
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in legal assistant/paralegal, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Legal Assistant/Paralegal Schools
For return on investment in legal assistant/paralegal, no school beat Purdue University Global this year. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,101, compared with $14,412 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for legal assistant/paralegal graduates is $31,147. Soon after graduation, legal assistant/paralegal degree recipients from Purdue University Global generally make around $52,174. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
George Washington University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value legal assistant/paralegal schools. Located in the city of Washington, George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $67,710. Students borrow a median of $22,910 to complete the legal assistant/paralegal program here. Soon after graduation, legal assistant/paralegal degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $66,963. That is a strong return on a $22,910 median debt. Roughly 47% of applicants are accepted.
Other Legal Assistant/Paralegal Degree Levels
Explore the best-value legal assistant/paralegal schools at other degree levels:
View All Legal Assistant/Paralegal Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 530 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
