Best Law Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
32
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$569,577
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$54,494
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cornell University
Grad rate: 95.2% |
NY | +$2,972,656 | $207,272 | $83,196 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Duke University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
NC | +$2,835,004 | $200,300 | $82,749 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
Yale University
Grad rate: 97.0% |
CT | +$2,119,760 | $165,012 | $85,120 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | +$875,244 | $92,189 | $32,134 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
Santa Clara University
Grad rate: 88.5% |
CA | +$712,788 | $93,193 | $77,768 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Pepperdine University
Grad rate: 84.4% |
CA | +$622,112 | $90,146 | $85,202 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate: 84.7% |
NJ | +$621,452 | $80,119 | $35,232 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Baylor University
Grad rate: 80.8% |
TX | +$587,340 | $85,393 | $70,130 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of San Francisco
Grad rate: 72.8% |
CA | +$572,656 | $85,917 | $76,421 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 | Albany Law School | NY | +$567,940 | $70,397 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | +$562,172 | $75,718 | $28,047 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
Brigham Young University
Grad rate: 80.4% |
UT | +$555,144 | $73,933 | $20,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Chapman University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
CA | +$488,412 | $82,686 | $81,327 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Florida International University
Grad rate: 71.3% |
FL | +$425,616 | $67,392 | $20,556 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Grad rate: 77.1% |
NH | +$410,172 | $69,422 | $34,567 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
Grad rate: 75.7% |
OK | +$399,068 | $67,720 | $28,833 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Illinois Chicago
Grad rate: 60.9% |
IL | +$352,188 | $65,009 | $26,998 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Suffolk University
Grad rate: 60.1% |
MA | +$351,772 | $72,153 | $62,822 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Grad rate: 52.1% |
NM | +$306,728 | $61,531 | $20,973 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 | Massachusetts School of Law | MA | +$301,040 | $57,052 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Saint Louis University
Grad rate: 80.5% |
MO | +$272,820 | $69,466 | $69,125 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
Belmont University
Grad rate: 72.1% |
TN | +$266,340 | $67,413 | $60,480 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
Lewis & Clark College
Grad rate: 72.3% |
OR | +$191,920 | $66,934 | $76,690 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Samford University
Grad rate: 78.8% |
AL | +$175,204 | $61,547 | $53,934 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Mercer University
Grad rate: 73.5% |
GA | +$162,664 | $61,432 | $56,494 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Grad rate: 51.8% |
MA | +$141,152 | $55,393 | $31,677 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
Loyola University New Orleans
Grad rate: 67.3% |
LA | +$132,272 | $60,981 | $61,837 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of Dayton
Grad rate: 81.4% |
OH | +$127,920 | $61,258 | $64,310 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 |
Oklahoma City University
Grad rate: 66.9% |
OK | +$96,244 | $56,041 | $46,144 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
Ohio Northern University
Grad rate: 73.3% |
OH | +$73,424 | $56,168 | $52,484 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
St. Thomas University
Grad rate: 43.1% |
FL | +$19,172 | $52,911 | $49,762 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
Western New England University
Grad rate: 65.6% |
MA | -$71,912 | $50,191 | $58,933 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Law Degrees by State
Browse Law programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.