2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Law is the 25th most popular major in the country with 34,750 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, law graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $58,876 and had an average of $112,084 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 34,750 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 147 colleges that offer a degree in law. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent law programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the law program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 264 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 278 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern also made our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 182 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s law degrees to 570 students in 2019-2020.
Harvard also made our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #3. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654.
Out of the 147 schools in the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 204 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree law students whose families make $0-$30k list, UChicago has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.
With a ranking of #6, Georgetown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown University is a fairly large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 693 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
Georgetown also took the #2 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown are $53,591, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #7, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 332 degrees to qualified doctorate’s law students in 2019-2020.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #8, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 235 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WUSTL also took the #13 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Vanderbilt University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 182 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt University are $50,624.
University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UF also claimed a top spot on our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Washington and Lee University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Washington and Lee is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lexington, Virginia. It awarded 154 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 428 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree law students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Berkeley ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 331 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 199 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Law at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 147 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Notre Dame ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s law degrees to 201 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Notre Dame are $57,522, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #17, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 315 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia are $32,394, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Law at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #18, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 312 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
William & Mary did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 179 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 163 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s law students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.
Read more about Law at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Emory University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 280 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree law students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emory has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Law Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Emory are $44,676.
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 140 doctorate’s law degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Florida State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 192 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State are $26,707.
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 157 doctorate’s law degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #25, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Law Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 226 degrees to qualified doctorate’s law students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State University are $37,056.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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