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2024 Best Law Schools in California

19 Colleges in California
4,252 Law Degrees Awarded
$68,419 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #28 in popularity, law is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual reviewed 19 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of law. Combined, these schools handed out 4,252 degrees in law to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Law School

Best Law Schools in California The law program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Law rankings. We derive our Best Overall Law School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Law Rankings by Degree Level

Doctor's Degrees in Law

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Law Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Law in California

The schools below may not offer all types of law degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Law

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
359 Law Degrees Awarded
8.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in law has to look into University of California - Berkeley. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 359 law students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the law degree program at University of California - Berkeley get $91,971 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in law from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Law Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

Stanford University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in law. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 190 law students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Law degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of about $83,155 above the average income of law majors.

More information about a degree in law from Stanford University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Law Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in law. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 213 law students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those law students who get their degree from University of Southern California earn $53,257 more than the standard law student.

More information about a degree in law from University of Southern California

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
338 Law Degrees Awarded
$92,050 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in law needs to check out University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 338 law students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Those law students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles receive $23,631 more than the average law graduate.

More information about a degree in law from University of California - Los Angeles

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
221 Law Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 221 law students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Those law students who get their degree from Santa Clara University receive $6,310 more than the average law grad.

More information about a degree in law from Santa Clara University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
317 Law Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, UC Hastings is a public university with a small student population.

There were roughly 317 law students who graduated with this degree at UC Hastings in the most recent year we have data available. Those law students who get their degree from University of California - Hastings College of Law make $4,404 more than the average law graduate.

More information about a degree in law from University of California - Hastings College of Law

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
332 Law Degrees Awarded
8.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 332 law students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the law program report average early career income of $55,381.

More information about a degree in law from Loyola Marymount University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Law Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 216 law students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the law degree program at University of California - Davis make $5,095 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in law from University of California - Davis

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
248 Law Degrees Awarded
8.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 29th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 248 law students who graduated with this degree at USD in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the law program at University of San Diego earn $2,948 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in law from University of San Diego

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
138 Law Degrees Awarded
$77,451 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 138 law students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Those law students who get their degree from University of California - Irvine earn $9,032 more than the standard law student.

More information about a degree in law from University of California - Irvine

Best Law Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Law Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington300514
Oregon266408
Nevada192166
Hawaii164109

View All Rankings >

Law is one of 4 different types of Legal Professions programs to choose from.

Law Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Law4,252

View All Law Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Law

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Legal Research2,265
Legal Support Services1,687
Non-Professional General Legal Studies729
Legal Professions (Other)482

View All Law Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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