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
177
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
+$670,268
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$47,398
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Columbia University in the City of New York
Grad rate: 95.1% |
NY | +$3,588,316 | $230,020 | $86,042 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
University of Chicago
Grad rate: 95.2% |
IL | +$3,371,548 | $219,263 | $86,856 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Pennsylvania
Grad rate: 96.5% |
PA | +$3,356,724 | $218,410 | $85,738 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
Stanford University
Grad rate: 94.0% |
CA | +$3,212,416 | $210,837 | $82,162 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
New York University
Grad rate: 87.8% |
NY | +$3,184,438 | $209,134 | $79,121 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
Northwestern University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
IL | +$3,110,152 | $206,288 | $87,804 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
Harvard University
Grad rate: 97.5% |
MA | +$2,975,176 | $199,043 | $82,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Grad rate: 95.3% |
VA | +$2,943,996 | $193,013 | $38,132 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | +$2,117,470 | $151,208 | $33,345 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of California-Berkeley
Grad rate: 93.5% |
CA | +$1,954,264 | $143,984 | $42,708 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$1,688,454 | $130,087 | $36,643 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | +$1,683,284 | $134,632 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
Vanderbilt University
Grad rate: 92.7% |
TN | +$1,601,496 | $130,516 | $84,412 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
Georgetown University
Grad rate: 95.0% |
DC | +$1,588,088 | $129,874 | $84,696 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | +$1,511,496 | $120,559 | $29,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
Fordham University
Grad rate: 81.8% |
NY | +$1,488,618 | $124,166 | $77,351 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
Washington University in St Louis
Grad rate: 94.1% |
MO | +$1,295,068 | $115,101 | $83,476 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Boston College
Grad rate: 91.0% |
MA | +$1,288,414 | $114,789 | $83,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Notre Dame
Grad rate: 96.6% |
IN | +$1,202,278 | $110,135 | $80,211 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | +$1,124,952 | $106,517 | $82,694 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 | University of California College of the Law-San Francisco | CA | +$1,122,740 | $98,137 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of California-Irvine
Grad rate: 86.3% |
CA | +$1,114,458 | $101,335 | $36,121 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
George Washington University
Grad rate: 85.0% |
DC | +$1,056,046 | $102,875 | $80,727 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Santa Clara University
Grad rate: 88.5% |
CA | +$1,017,244 | $100,639 | $77,768 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Southern Methodist University
Grad rate: 82.8% |
TX | +$977,796 | $99,143 | $82,532 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
George Mason University
Grad rate: 69.9% |
VA | +$902,216 | $89,808 | $26,972 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Houston
Grad rate: 64.0% |
TX | +$860,548 | $87,533 | $25,056 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 28 |
University of San Diego
Grad rate: 82.1% |
CA | +$857,162 | $92,346 | $74,879 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 29 | Brooklyn Law School | NY | +$856,520 | $84,826 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 30 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grad rate: 91.7% |
NC | +$850,778 | $87,057 | $25,181 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 31 |
Emory University
Grad rate: 90.9% |
GA | +$848,472 | $92,305 | $78,814 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 32 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Grad rate: 48.7% |
NV | +$844,200 | $86,154 | $19,440 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 33 |
University of California-Davis
Grad rate: 85.7% |
CA | +$835,586 | $87,586 | $38,067 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 34 |
Seton Hall University
Grad rate: 71.6% |
NJ | +$831,668 | $90,083 | $64,996 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 35 |
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Grad rate: 59.7% |
CT | +$819,886 | $85,086 | $20,917 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 36 |
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Grad rate: 57.8% |
CT | +$818,514 | $85,086 | $21,603 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 37 |
Yeshiva University
Grad rate: 84.1% |
NY | +$814,806 | $89,652 | $69,117 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 38 |
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Grad rate: 63.9% |
CT | +$811,658 | $85,086 | $25,031 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 39 |
University of Connecticut-Stamford
Grad rate: 59.5% |
CT | +$806,246 | $85,086 | $27,737 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 40 |
Loyola Marymount University
Grad rate: 80.6% |
CA | +$805,766 | $89,875 | $75,867 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 41 |
University of Connecticut
Grad rate: 83.5% |
CT | +$788,576 | $85,086 | $36,572 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 42 | Taft University System | CO | +$766,680 | $80,334 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 43 |
Loyola University Chicago
Grad rate: 73.9% |
IL | +$747,806 | $85,807 | $64,167 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 44 |
St. John's University-New York
Grad rate: 68.9% |
NY | +$729,758 | $84,681 | $61,931 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 45 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | +$727,374 | $81,057 | $26,883 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 46 | University of Maryland Baltimore | MD | +$726,760 | $78,338 | N/A | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 47 |
University of Florida
Grad rate: 90.7% |
FL | +$723,642 | $80,354 | $21,719 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 48 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | +$718,356 | $80,946 | $30,282 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 49 |
William & Mary
Grad rate: 91.0% |
VA | +$708,284 | $81,526 | $41,118 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 50 | Southwestern Law School | CA | +$693,140 | $76,657 | N/A | 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.