2023 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
13
Ranked Colleges
2,081
Degrees Awarded
$15,600
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Law is the 28th most popular major in the country with 36,216 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, law graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $64,466 and had an average of $19,500 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Plains States region, there were 2,081 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,717 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
More Ways to Rank Law Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 243 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $2,446 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Law at Washington University in St Louis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 227 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $8,609 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Law at UMN Twin Cities
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $11,386 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Law at Mizzou
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNL is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 113 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UNL also took the #6 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UNL is $13,453 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Law at UNL
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Dakota landed the #5 spot on the list. UND is a fairly large school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 56 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UND also took the #10 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Dakota is $13,151 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Law at UND
University of Iowa landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Iowa is located in Iowa City, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 137 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Iowa is $15,508 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Iowa Law Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMKC is a fairly large public school situated in Kansas City, Missouri. It awarded 121 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
UMKC also made our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Kansas City is $13,751 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Missouri - Kansas City Law Report
University of Kansas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 98 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k list, KU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for KU is $16,288 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full KU Law Report
Washburn University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 100 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Washburn University also took the #13 spot in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washburn University is $12,574 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Law at Washburn University
University of South Dakota landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of South Dakota is a medium-sized school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 62 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k list, USD has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USD is $17,294 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full USD Law Report
Drake University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Drake University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 100 ’s law degrees to qualified students.
Drake also made our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Drake University is $25,332 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Law at Drake University
University of St Thomas Minnesota ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 144 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2020-2021.
UST MN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UST MN is $27,782 for Plains States Region Law students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UST MN Law Report
With a ranking of #13, Creighton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Law Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Creighton University is a medium-sized school located in Omaha, Nebraska that handed out 103 ’s law degrees in 2020-2021.
Creighton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Law Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Creighton University is $24,655 for plains states region law students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Law at Creighton
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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
- *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.
