2023 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research (Income $0-$30k)
95
Ranked Colleges
6,874
Degrees Awarded
$6,000
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Legal Research is the 114th most popular major in the country with 6,874 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, legal research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $66,544 and had an average of $26,000 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 95 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in legal research. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great legal research programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the legal research program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Legal Research Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Legal Research (Income $0-$30k)
Out of the 95 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #1 spot on the list. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 317 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgetown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $3,077 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 0.7% 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 Georgetown University Legal Research Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,233 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Legal Research at Stanford
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 106 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
Full Northwestern University Legal Research Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 42 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn also took the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $580 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Legal Research at UPenn
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $2,564 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at Harvard
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. It costs about $2,500 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Chicago Legal Research Report
With a ranking of #7, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 92 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, UF has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $65 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UF.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 97%.
Read full report on Legal Research at UF
Washington University in St Louis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 370 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $1,556 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Washington University in St Louis Legal Research Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 18 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $2,670 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Legal Research Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,176 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Legal Research at Vanderbilt
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 105 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,873 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Legal Research at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of California - Berkeley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal research degrees to 125 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $8,450 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #13, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 67 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Wake Forest University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. It costs about $10,401 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wake Forest University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Legal Research at Wake Forest University
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 25 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $3,981 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 Legal Research at UW - Madison
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 100 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. It costs about $5,194 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Legal Research at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia also took the #17 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $12,476 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of Virginia
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. IU Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 41 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $5,752 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full IU Bloomington Legal Research Report
Florida State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 129 ’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $4,950 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida State.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Full Florida State Legal Research Report
With a ranking of #19, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 43 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,037 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UCLA Legal Research Report
Boston University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 118 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, Boston U has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $12,982 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at Boston University
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,969 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 full report on Legal Research at Arizona State University - Tempe
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 95 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $7,026 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
Read more about Legal Research at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Emory University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 73 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Legal Research Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Emory University is $8,538 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Legal Research at Emory University
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 354 diplomas to qualified ’s legal research students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Research Schools” ranking. It costs about $17,287 for Legal Research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend USC.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Legal Research at USC
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 19 ’s legal research degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,698 for legal research students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 93%.
Read more about Legal Research at UMN Twin Cities
