Law Schools, Money

The Best Law Schools In America's Cheapest Cities

Check out this list if you'd like to give your bank account a little breather.

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empty pocketConsidering how astronomically high law school tuition usually is, cost-of-living expenses can make or break the average law student’s budget. If you’d like to attend a law school in a city that will allow you to give your bank account a little breather, then you may want to check out this list compiled by Law.com.

The site has identified the nine cheapest cities in the country with the highest-ranked law schools, accounting for each law school’s full-time, nonresident tuition. City rankings were based on the Forbes ranking of 2015’s 25 most affordable cities, which took into account things like food costs, home prices, utilities, gas, transportation, and more. Law school rankings were based on the most recent list from U.S. News & World Report.

Here are the top five cheapest cities with the highest-ranked law schools:

1. Knoxville, Forbes No. 2: University of Tennessee College of Law, U.S. News No. 65 ($37,903)

2. Oklahoma City, Forbes No. 4: Oklahoma City University School of Law, U.S. News No. 144 ($34,330)

3. St. Louis, Forbes No. 7: Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, U.S. News No. 18 ($51,626)

4. Indianapolis, Forbes No. 9: Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, U.S. News No. 100 ($45,210)

5. Detroit, Forbes No. 10: Wayne State University Law School, U.S. News No. 97 ($32,894)

If you’re willing to sacrifice some cash to attend a better school, here’s a list of the top five highest-ranked law schools in the cheapest cities (one school is listed again here):

1. University of Texas School of Law, U.S. News No. 15 ($49,244): Austin, Forbes No. 19

2. Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, U.S. News No. 18 ($51,626): St. Louis, Forbes No. 7

3. University of Tennessee College of Law, U.S. News No. 65 ($37,903): Knoxville, Forbes No. 2

4. University of Tulsa College of Law, U.S. News No. 86 ($35,529): Tulsa, Forbes No. 18

5. University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, U.S. News No. 92 ($37,432): Louisville, Forbes No. 13

What’s the lesson to be learned from taking a look at these lists? Apparently highly ranked law schools aren’t built in cheap cities. If you’d like to attend one of the best law schools in the nation, you’ll have to be willing to spend a little a lot more money.

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9 of the Cheapest Cities With the Highest-Ranked Law Schools [Law.com]
These are the top-rated law schools in the nation’s cheapest cities [ABA Journal]

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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