The Most Affordable Law Schools With The Highest Starting Salaries For Graduates
How does your law school measure up?
By now, the general population knows that in most cases, it costs an arm and a leg to get a law degree in the United States. In fact, at the vast majority of law schools, a degree can run the average graduate a sum in excess of six figures, which is causing their debt levels to soar to new heights. According to the most recent data reported to U.S. News, recent graduates of public law schools have an average debt of $90,217, while recent graduates of private law schools have an average debt of $130,349.
At some law schools, however, it’s a completely different story. At these law schools, new graduates are able to find jobs with salaries that are high enough to allow them to pay down their already low debt obligations, without having to completely sacrifice their quality of life.
Student Loan Hero recently conducted a study to determine which law schools would allow graduates to get a leg up on repaying their debts. One hundred sixteen law schools were surveyed based on the following methodology:
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1) The ratio of the average post-law school starting salary (from the NALP report) to the average indebtedness (from the U.S. News & World Report), weighted at half
2) Annual in-state tuition weighted at one-sixth (sourced from U.S. News)
3) Percentage of graduates leaving law school with student debt weighted at one-sixth (U.S. News)
4) Employment rates of recent law school graduates weighted at one-sixth (NALP)
At the 20 most affordable law schools on Student Loan Hero’s ranking, the average tuition is $25,421, the average student loan balance at graduation is $83,195, and the average post-law school starting salary is $78,569. Which law schools made the list? We’ll start our readers off with the Top 10:
- Brigham Young
Annual tuition: $12,310 (for LDS Church members)
Average law school debt at graduation: $58,113
Average starting salary: $75,872 - Georgia State
Annual tuition: $16,858 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $64,384
Average starting salary: $83,427 - Rutgers
Annual tuition: $27,269 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $56,173
Average starting salary: $64,604 - Iowa
Annual tuition: $24,930 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $74,128
Average starting salary: $74,903 - University of Houston
Annual tuition: $30,401 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $97,246
Average starting salary: $102,153 - UT Austin
Annual tuition: $33,995 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $103,417
Average starting salary: $105,647 - University of Arizona
Annual tuition: $25,525 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $84,601
Average starting salary: $76,664 - University of Nebraska
Annual tuition: $15,036 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $62,888
Average starting salary: $58,614 - University of Wisconsin
Annual tuition: $21,450 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $77,555
Average starting salary: $72,089 - University of North Carolina
Annual tuition: $23,551 (in-state)
Average law school debt at graduation: $95,365
Average starting salary: $88,781
Click here to check out the rest of the law schools that made the Top 20.
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Congratulations to you if your law school landed on Student Loan Hero’s list of the most affordable law schools. If not, how does your law school measure up?
20 Best Law Schools for Avoiding Six-Figure Student Debt [Student Loan Hero]
Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.