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2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Professions (Income $30-$48k) in California

16 Ranked Colleges
7,816 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” 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.

Across California, there were 7,816 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,809 and $19,221 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the legal professions program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 colleges and universities below are the best for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 204 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $1,581 for California Legal Professions students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Stanford University

2

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 672 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,999 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of California - Berkeley

3
Cerritos College crest
Cerritos College
Norwalk, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cerritos College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Norwalk, California, this fairly large public school handed out 58 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cerritos College, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cerritos College is $2,179 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Cerritos College

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 393 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,891 for California Legal Professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full UCLA Legal Professions Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 148 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,049 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at UC Santa Cruz

6
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 750 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,345 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Legal Professions at USC

7

University of California - Irvine ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 232 students in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $8,449 for california legal professions 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UC Irvine

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 235 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $11,598 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.

Read more about Legal Professions at UC Davis

9
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 234 diplomas to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

SCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SCU is $23,508 for california legal professions 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 93%.

Full Santa Clara University Legal Professions Report

10
MTI College crest
MTI College
Sacramento, California

MTI College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. MTI College is a small private for-profit school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 34 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k list, MTI College has also earned the # rank in our "" ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MTI College is $17,379 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at MTI College

11

Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Humphreys University is a small school located in Stockton, California that handed out 59 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Humphreys University, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Legal Professions at Humphreys University

12
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #12, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. USD is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 371 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USD also took the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Diego is $22,334 for California Legal Professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at USD

13
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 189 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pacific is $23,162 for California Legal Professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of the Pacific Legal Professions Report

14
ULV crest
University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. ULV is a medium-sized school located in La Verne, California that handed out 101 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

ULV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list. It costs about $29,675 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of La Verne.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 ULV Legal Professions Report

15
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 357 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Marymount not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” list. It costs about $31,985 for california legal professions students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Loyola Marymount University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. 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.

Read more about Legal Professions at Loyola Marymount

16
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 160 diplomas to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Chapman also took the #14 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman University is $32,071 for California Legal Professions students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Professions at Chapman

Notes and References

References

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