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2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

112 Ranked Colleges
4,637 Degrees Awarded
$6,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 61,993 people earned their degree in legal professions, making the major the 17th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, legal professions graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,199 and had an average of $58,026 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,637 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 112 colleges that offer a degree in legal professions. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality legal professions programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the legal professions program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 112 schools in the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $1,866 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Legal Professions Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,156 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

The 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Vanderbilt

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 97 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #6 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UW - Madison

#25 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. John Jay is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 157 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

John Jay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for John Jay is $771 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at John Jay

#12 in overall quality

Out of the 112 schools in the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, New York City College of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. City Tech is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 44 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, City Tech has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend New York City College of Technology is $2,456 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at City Tech

#9 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, UW Seattle has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,850 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Legal Professions Report

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Berkeley ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 184 bachelors’s legal professions 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 Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Berkeley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 96%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of California - Berkeley

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Orlando, Florida, this large public school awarded 214 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s legal professions students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree legal professions 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. The low 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 full report on Legal Professions at University of Central Florida

#9

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, Florida

St Petersburg College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SPC is a large school located in Clearwater, Florida that handed out 20 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for St Petersburg College is $1,454 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at SPC

#7 in overall quality

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH Clear Lake, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,517 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Legal Professions Report

#11

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 84 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,686 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Legal Professions at Michigan State University

#12

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 43 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s legal professions students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,140 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UWF.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UWF

#13

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida
Top 25% in overall quality

Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida Gulf Coast University is located in Fort Myers, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 77 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Florida Gulf Coast University is $7,824 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full FGCU Legal Professions Report

#14

Peirce College

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#16 in overall quality

Peirce College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Peirce did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Peirce College is $5,180 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Peirce College

#15

University of Richmond

University of Richmond, Virginia
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Richmond did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Richmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

URichmond also made our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend URichmond is $9,112 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full URichmond Legal Professions Report

Top 25% in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 96 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,044 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Arizona State University - Tempe

#17

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 91 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Massachusetts Amherst is $13,137 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMass Amherst Legal Professions Report

#18

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#22 in overall quality

Grand Valley State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Allendale, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Grand Valley State University is $11,578 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read more about Legal Professions at GVSU

#19

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia

With a ranking of #19, American Public University System did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s legal professions degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,013 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend American Public University System.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at American Military University

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 155 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Legal Professions Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,872 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Legal Professions at UC Santa Cruz

#21

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,403 for Bachelor’s Degree Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State University.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Ball State

With a ranking of #22, The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UT Chattanooga is $8,108 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UT Chattanooga

#23

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

University of Mississippi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. University of Mississippi is located in University, Mississippi and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Ole Miss is $9,455 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Ole Miss

#24

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school awarded 152 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s legal professions students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Legal Professions Report

#25

Clayton State University

Morrow, Georgia

Clayton State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Morrow, Georgia, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Clayton State University is $9,227 for bachelor’s degree legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Clayton State University

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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to The wub.

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