2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Legal Research (Income $0-$30k)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 9,738 people earned their degree in legal research, making the major the 89th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, legal research graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,635 and had an average of $65,122 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 8,483 legal research graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 103 colleges that offer a degree in legal research. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent legal research programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the legal research program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Legal Research (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 82 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 28 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn also made our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Legal Research at University of Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s legal research degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 178 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 103 schools in the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgetown University landed the #5 spot on the list. Georgetown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 648 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Georgetown also took the #1 spot in our “Best Legal Research Master’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.
Northwestern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 267 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.
University of Florida landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 107 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130.
Washington University in St Louis landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WUSTL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 306 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Legal Research at Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #9, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548.
Vanderbilt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 66 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt University are $50,624, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 306 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia also made our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Legal Research at Columbia University in the City of New York
University of California - Berkeley landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 330 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Legal Research Master’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 California - Berkeley are $29,347.
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 masters’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 masters’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle also took the #22 spot in our “Best Legal Research Master’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.
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 208 masters’s legal research degrees to qualified students.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of California - Los Angeles
University of Notre Dame ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified masters’s legal research students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, Notre Dame has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Notre Dame are $57,522.
Read full report on Legal Research at University of Notre Dame
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s legal research degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree legal research students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Legal Research at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #18, Emory University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 79 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Emory not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Emory are $44,676, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Boston University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s legal research degrees to 240 students in 2019-2020.
Boston U also made our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Boston University are $57,666.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified masters’s legal research students 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.
Read full report on Legal Research at Florida State University
University of California - Irvine ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s legal research degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of California - Irvine Legal Research Report
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 43 diplomas to qualified masters’s legal research students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Florida International University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. FIU is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 36 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at FIU are $24,211, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Legal Research at Florida International University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 52 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Legal Research Report
Wake Forest University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Legal Research Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 47 masters’s legal research degrees in 2019-2020.
Wake Forest University also made our “Best Legal Research Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wake Forest University are $39,216, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
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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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