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2023 Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Great Lakes Region

16 Ranked Colleges
901 Degrees Awarded
$79,044 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 8,634 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,243 and $28,022 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s” ranking looked at 16 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the legal professions program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree vets studying legal professions.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 17 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree vets studying legal professions list, U-M has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 570 of the 47,907 students enrolled at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor were GI Bill® students, of which 325 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,058. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 96%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at U-M]](/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor/student-life/veterans/)

2

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Madison also made our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7.According to our most recent data, University of Wisconsin - Madison supports 44,640 students, and 4 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

3
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 28 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Chicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UChicago Veteran Student Life Report

4
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola University Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 135 degrees to qualified masters’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago also took the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Of the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, 261 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. To help with additional expenses, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #5 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 24 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.According to our most recent data, IU Bloomington supports 43,064 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Veteran Student Life Report

6

With a ranking of #6, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 12 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 2 of the 61,369 students enrolled at Ohio State were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Ohio State offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Ohio State University - Main Campus]](/colleges/ohio-state-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

7
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s legal professions degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree vets studying legal professions list, Notre Dame has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 12,809 students enrolled at Notre Dame, 11 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,670. During this same period, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Notre Dame]](/colleges/university-of-notre-dame/student-life/veterans/)

8

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 33 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Among the 29,390 students enrolled at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,439. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Read More…

9

With a ranking of #9, Case Western Reserve University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 80 degrees to qualified masters’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Case Western also took the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 109 of the 11,465 students enrolled at Case Western were GI Bill® students, of which 69 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,799. In addition to receiving other benefits, 35 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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%.

Read More…

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 39 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

DePaul also made our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #12.According to our most recent data, DePaul University supports 21,922 students, and 528 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 367 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

11

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

UC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 909 of the 40,826 students enrolled at UC were GI Bill® students, of which 498 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,806. To help with additional expenses, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 veteran student life at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus]](/colleges/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

12

Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School is located in Lansing, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 masters’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

WMU-Cooley Law School also took the #13 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 972 students enrolled at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 15 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,506. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at WMU-Cooley Law School]](/colleges/thomas-m-cooley-law-school/student-life/veterans/)

13

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. Illinois Institute of Technology is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 masters’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 83 of the 6,325 students enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology were GI Bill® students, of which 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,905. In addition to receiving other benefits, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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. 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.

Read More…

14

University of Toledo landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Toledo, Ohio, and it awarded 4 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Toledo also took the #16 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 18,319 students enrolled at University of Toledo, 510 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 232 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,784. To help with additional expenses, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Toledo does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full University of Toledo Veteran Student Life Report

15
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 181 masters’s legal professions degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree vets studying legal professions list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.Among the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Northwestern University Veteran Student Life Report

16

With a ranking of #16, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Great Lakes Region for Legal Professions for a Master’s list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s legal professions students in 2020-2021.

Cleveland State University also made our “Best Legal Professions Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #17.Our most recent data shows that 411 of the 15,247 students enrolled at Cleveland State University were GI Bill® students, of which 169 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,076. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Cleveland State University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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