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10 Law Schools Where Starting Salaries Outweigh Debt

Are these the law schools that'll give you the best headstart in life?

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If you’re a frequent reader of this website, you know that we continuously talk about the effects of law school debt and the need for tuition decreases so young lawyers can go on to lead normal lives after graduation instead of wearing their debt around their necks like slowly tightening nooses.

As time goes by, more and more law schools are starting to listen and reform — though in some cases, we imagine it’s only because they’re now feeling the pain of a decrease in tuition dollars due to low enrollment and smaller classes.

Until all law schools get in gear with the way things work now, we’ve got a list of law schools where life could be good after graduation. At these law schools, the average graduate has a starting salary that outweighs his average debt load…

This list comes to us courtesy of the Short List blog of U.S. News. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary; it’s not guaranteed that you will make this much money if you attend one of these schools.

As you can see, the average student at the vast majority of these schools landed a job at a large law firm where starting salaries are usually about $160,000. It’s noteworthy that the HYS strand has been broken. Where’s Harvard? At least we can count on Stanford and Yale, in that order, to do right by its students.

We like that Howard, a lower-ranked historically black university, managed to sneak its way onto this list. It appears that diversity hiring is alive and well in Washington, D.C., but we hope law firms will change their practices so more of these lawyers will be able to make partner someday.

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Last, but not least, we know the school that performed the worst in terms of its salary-to-debt ratio:

The Florida Coastal School of Law had the lowest salary-to-debt ratio out of all the institutions that reported data to U.S. News. Alumni who graduated in 2012 and worked in the private sector had a median salary of $45,000 while 2013 graduates with student loans for law school carried an average debt of $150,360. The school’s salary-to-debt ratio is 0.299.

FCSL’s severely indebted graduates with slim job prospects are thanking their lucky stars for InfiLaw now.

There you have it: the places that’ll give you the best headstart in life. Congratulations if you’re a student or an alumnus of one of these schools. How did it work out for you? Let us know in the comments.

10 Law Schools Where Salaries for Grads Most Outweigh Debt [The Short List / U.S. News]

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