Law
Offered at 264 college programs that reported results. Here is what graduates earn and owe at each credential level, and which programs pay best.
By credential level
| Credential | Programs | Typical earnings, 1 yr | Typical earnings, 5 yrs | Typical debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-bacc certificate | 1 | — | — | — |
| Master's | 9 | $69,606 | $88,287 | — |
| Doctoral | 36 | $72,623 | $104,665 | — |
| Professional | 217 | $76,005 | $104,068 | — |
| Graduate certificate | 1 | — | — | — |
"Typical" is the median across programs of each program's median, counting only programs with unsuppressed data (at least three). It describes a typical program, not a national median for all graduates. Certificate figures include certificates earned at four-year colleges, often alongside a bachelor's; see degrees vs. certificates for a cleaner comparison. Source: College Scorecard field of study data.
Highest-earning post-bacc certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern Maine | ME | $83,045 | — | $22,750 |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning master's programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wake Forest University | NC | $112,502 | — | — |
| 2 | Loyola Marymount University | CA | $65,472 | $106,192 | — |
| 3 | Stetson University | FL | — | $102,805 | — |
| 4 | University of Houston | TX | — | $100,136 | — |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $85,340 | — | — |
| 6 | Liberty University | VA | — | $76,439 | — |
| 7 | Massachusetts School of Law | MA | $73,741 | — | — |
| 8 | St. Mary's University | TX | $59,674 | $65,681 | — |
| 9 | University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras | PR | $37,446 | $60,984 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning doctoral programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke University | NC | $215,478 | $295,789 | — |
| 2 | Cornell University | NY | $221,831 | $271,971 | — |
| 3 | Yale University | CT | $126,228 | $179,790 | — |
| 4 | Pepperdine University | CA | $93,519 | $140,403 | — |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | IL | $92,516 | $132,681 | — |
| 6 | University of San Francisco | CA | — | $132,564 | — |
| 7 | Baylor University | TX | $96,639 | $129,434 | — |
| 8 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | $84,081 | $119,048 | — |
| 9 | Suffolk University | MA | $80,681 | $113,581 | — |
| 10 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $70,552 | $113,252 | — |
| 11 | Lewis & Clark College | OR | $72,623 | $108,735 | — |
| 12 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | NH | $73,556 | $107,108 | — |
| 13 | Florida International University | FL | $82,256 | $104,878 | — |
| 14 | St. Thomas University | FL | $64,322 | $104,452 | — |
| 15 | Samford University | AL | $70,843 | $103,996 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning professional programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | $218,872 | $356,280 | — |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $226,792 | $345,788 | — |
| 3 | Northwestern University | IL | $220,974 | $308,160 | — |
| 4 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | $214,011 | $304,252 | — |
| 5 | University of Chicago | IL | $209,927 | $293,837 | — |
| 6 | Harvard University | MA | $215,131 | $289,217 | — |
| 7 | Stanford University | CA | $149,637 | $267,325 | — |
| 8 | New York University | NY | $219,153 | $264,604 | — |
| 9 | Fordham University | NY | $205,946 | $245,293 | — |
| 10 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | $204,630 | $238,121 | — |
| 11 | Vanderbilt University | TN | $194,248 | $231,138 | — |
| 12 | Georgetown University | DC | $200,986 | $228,443 | — |
| 13 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | $212,732 | $214,019 | — |
| 14 | Boston College | MA | $175,620 | $203,767 | — |
| 15 | Boston University | MA | $151,628 | $202,837 | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
Highest-earning graduate certificate programs
| # | College | State | Earnings, 1 yr | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Connecticut | CT | $91,533 | — | — |
Ranked by 5-year median earnings, or 1-year where 5-year is not reported.
