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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Legal Professions

913 Ranked Colleges
61,055 Degrees Awarded
$38,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major” ranking.

Legal Professions is the 16th most popular major in the country with 61,055 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major” ranking, we looked at 913 colleges that offer a degree in legal professions. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in legal professions.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

The colleges and universities below are the best for legal professions students.

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 997 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

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

Read full report on Legal Professions at Georgetown

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 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 672 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 University of California - Berkeley

3
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

Out of the 913 schools in the Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major that were part of this year’s ranking, George Washington University landed the #3 spot on the list. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 682 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at George Washington University

4
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 666 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

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. 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 Legal Professions Report

5
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major. 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 661 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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 New York University Legal Professions Report

6
Fordham U crest
Fordham University
Bronx, New York

Fordham University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 558 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Fordham U

7

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 565 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Columbia University in the City of New York

7
The American University crest
American University
Washington, District of Columbia

American University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #7. The American University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 555 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full American University Legal Professions Report

9
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

Washington University in St Louis ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. 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.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington University in St Louis Legal Professions Report

10
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 515 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University Legal Professions Report

11

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 625 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at Arizona State University - Tempe

12
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida

University of Miami came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 491 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Legal Professions at University of Miami

13
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #13. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 538 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Liberty University Legal Professions Report

14

Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #14. WMU-Cooley Law School is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lansing, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 437 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School

15
Suffolk crest
Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. Suffolk University is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 447 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at Suffolk University

16
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 750 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Legal Professions at USC

17
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 408 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Boston University Legal Professions Report

17

With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 405 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Wisconsin - Madison

17

St John’s University - New York did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #17. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 404 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full STJ Legal Professions Report

17
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #17. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 429 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Arizona

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 399 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UW Seattle

22

With a ranking of #22, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 393 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Legal Professions Report

23

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 384 ’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 97%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at The University of Texas at Austin

24

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 381 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

25

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Legal Professions Major ranking, coming in at #25. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 386 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Oklahoma

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Yeshiva crest
Yeshiva University
New York, New York
27
Brooklyn Law crest
Brooklyn Law School
Brooklyn, New York
27
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
29
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
30
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
31
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
32
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
33
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
34
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
35
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
Indianapolis, Indiana
35
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
37
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York
37
Mitchell Hamline crest
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Saint Paul, Minnesota
39
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
39
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania
41
New York Law School crest
New York Law School
New York, New York
42
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey
43
California Western crest
California Western School of Law
San Diego, California
43
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California
45
46
47
DU crest
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
48
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
49
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia
50
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
52 Vermont Law School South Royalton, VT
53 Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
54 University of Houston Houston, TX
54 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX
54 Stetson University DeLand, FL
57 South Texas College of Law Houston, TX
58 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
59 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
60 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
61 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
62 University of Baltimore Baltimore, MD
63 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
64 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
65 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
Rank College Location
65 University of Maryland - Baltimore Baltimore, MD
67 St. Mary’s University San Antonio, TX
67 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
69 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
70 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
71 Pace University - New York New York, NY
72 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
73 Yale University New Haven, CT
74 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
74 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
76 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
77 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
78 DePaul University Chicago, IL
78 Southwestern Law School Los Angeles, CA
80 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
81 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
82 Northeastern University Boston, MA
83 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
84 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
85 University of Georgia Athens, GA
85 Villanova University Villanova, PA
87 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
88 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
89 Seattle University Seattle, WA
90 Stanford University Stanford, CA
Rank College Location
91 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
92 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
93 Barry University Miami, FL
94 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
95 Lewis & Clark College Portland, OR
96 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
96 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
98 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
98 Albany Law School Albany, NY
100 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
100 University of the Pacific Stockton, CA
100 Charleston School of Law Charleston, SC
103 Golden Gate University - San Francisco San Francisco, CA
103 CUNY School of Law Long Island City, NY
105 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
105 St. Thomas University Miami Gardens, FL
107 Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Law San Juan, PR
108 Baylor University Waco, TX
109 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
110 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
111 Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA
111 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI
113 Florida International University Miami, FL
113 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
115 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
Rank College Location
115 Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA
117 Drake University Des Moines, IA
118 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
118 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
118 Texas Southern University Houston, TX
121 Campbell University Buies Creek, NC
121 University of Mississippi University, MS
123 Samford University Birmingham, AL
124 Chapman University Orange, CA
125 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
126 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
127 New England Law - Boston Boston, MA
128 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
128 Rutgers University - Camden Camden, NJ
128 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
128 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
128 Roger Williams University School of Law Bristol, RI
133 American Public University System Charles Town, WV
134 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
134 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
134 John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY
137 Howard University Washington, DC

Notes and References

References

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