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2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Professions (Income $0-$30k)

264 Ranked Colleges
61,055 Degrees Awarded
$3,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 61,055 people earned their degree in legal professions, making the major the 16th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, legal professions graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $47,649 and had an average of $28,699 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 264 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in legal professions. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent legal professions programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the legal professions program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 328 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 University of Pennsylvania Legal Professions Report

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 204 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Legal Professions at Stanford

3
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

Out of the 264 schools in the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #3 spot on the list. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 997 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Georgetown, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $3,077 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Georgetown

4
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 515 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $245 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Northwestern

5
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 666 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, Harvard has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,564 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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 Harvard University Legal Professions Report

6
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 241 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago also took the #8 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,500 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UChicago Legal Professions Report

7

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 381 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Professions at U-M

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 230 students in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt University is $3,176 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Vanderbilt Legal Professions Report

9

Washington University in St Louis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 613 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WUSTL did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $1,556 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Legal Professions at WUSTL

10

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 672 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read more about Legal Professions at UC Berkeley

11
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 358 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $65 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UF

12

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 565 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,873 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Legal Professions at Columbia

13
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, California

Cerritos College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school situated in Norwalk, California. It awarded 58 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Cerritos College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It costs about $1,419 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cerritos College.

Full Cerritos College Legal Professions Report

14

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 405 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at University of Wisconsin - Madison

15
Nassau Community College crest
Nassau Community College
Garden City, New York

Nassau Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Garden City, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 63 diplomas to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Nassau Community College is also in the top of our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It costs about $2,197 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Nassau Community College.

Full Nassau Community College Legal Professions Report

16

John Jay College of Criminal Justice came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 148 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $788 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full John Jay College of Criminal Justice Legal Professions Report

17
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 326 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $12,476 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Legal Professions Report

18

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 399 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,194 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

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

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

19

Washington and Lee University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 118 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Washington and Lee University is $205 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Washington and Lee

20
Palm Beach State College crest
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, Florida

Palm Beach State College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lake Worth, Florida, this large public school awarded 32 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,452 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Palm Beach State College.

Full Palm Beach State College Legal Professions Report

21

New York City College of Technology came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. New York City College of Technology is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 65 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for New York City College of Technology is $2,908 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at City Tech

22
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 240 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Wake Forest University also claimed a top spot on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $10,401 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wake Forest University Legal Professions Report

23
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, Texas

El Centro College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 77 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, El Centro College is in the top on our “Best Legal Professions Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,791 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend El Centro College.

Read more about Legal Professions at El Centro College

24
Oakland Community College crest
Oakland Community College
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Oakland Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland Community College is a public institution located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland Community College is $1,464 for legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Oakland Community College

25

Austin Community College District did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Austin Community College District is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 39 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Austin Community College District is $3,264 for Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Austin Community College District

Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

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26
28
29
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia
30
SPC crest
St Petersburg College
Clearwater, Florida
31
32
33
34
Indian River State College crest
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, Florida
35
36
Valencia College crest
Valencia College
Orlando, Florida
37
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
38
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40

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