Best Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies 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

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$678,955

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$62,002

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	Duke University Grad rate: 96.2%	NC	+$2,796,862	$190,118	$82,749	N/A	Full ROI →
2	Georgetown University Grad rate: 95.0%	DC	+$1,483,888	$124,664	$84,696	N/A	Full ROI →
3	Northwestern University Grad rate: 96.2%	IL	+$1,302,612	$115,911	$87,804	N/A	Full ROI →
4	University of Florida Grad rate: 90.7%	FL	+$1,281,722	$108,258	$21,719	N/A	Full ROI →
5	University of San Francisco Grad rate: 72.8%	CA	+$1,122,538	$105,769	$76,421	N/A	Full ROI →
6	Boston University Grad rate: 89.5%	MA	+$1,080,292	$104,284	$82,694	N/A	Full ROI →
7	University of Illinois Chicago Grad rate: 60.9%	IL	+$984,844	$93,942	$26,998	N/A	Full ROI →
8	University of San Diego Grad rate: 82.1%	CA	+$982,202	$98,598	$74,879	N/A	Full ROI →
9	Golden Gate University	CA	+$966,860	$90,343	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
10	Temple University Grad rate: 76.3%	PA	+$920,822	$92,021	$39,799	N/A	Full ROI →
11	Southern Methodist University Grad rate: 82.8%	TX	+$911,916	$95,849	$82,532	N/A	Full ROI →
12	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Grad rate: 84.0%	WA	+$895,336	$89,795	$30,282	N/A	Full ROI →
13	The University of Alabama Grad rate: 73.2%	AL	+$890,792	$89,742	$32,024	N/A	Full ROI →
14	Seton Hall University Grad rate: 71.6%	NJ	+$859,988	$91,499	$64,996	N/A	Full ROI →
15	Loyola University Chicago Grad rate: 73.9%	IL	+$810,106	$88,922	$64,167	N/A	Full ROI →
16	George Washington University Grad rate: 85.0%	DC	+$756,826	$87,914	$80,727	N/A	Full ROI →
17	University of Denver Grad rate: 77.7%	CO	+$573,360	$78,170	$75,020	N/A	Full ROI →
18	Emory University Grad rate: 90.9%	GA	+$572,012	$78,482	$78,814	N/A	Full ROI →
19	Nova Southeastern University Grad rate: 63.4%	FL	+$421,246	$68,627	$55,647	N/A	Full ROI →
20	Widener University Grad rate: 65.6%	PA	+$412,270	$69,444	$68,305	N/A	Full ROI →
21	American University Grad rate: 79.0%	DC	+$399,742	$69,142	$71,549	N/A	Full ROI →
22	Thomas M Cooley Law School	MI	+$364,040	$60,202	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
23	Vermont Law and Graduate School	VT	+$362,820	$60,141	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
24	University of Miami Grad rate: 84.2%	FL	+$300,704	$64,806	$77,708	N/A	Full ROI →
25	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Grad rate: 27.4%	AZ	+$271,120	$55,556	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
26	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Grad rate: 52.5%	IL	+$240,384	$56,946	$29,268	N/A	Full ROI →
27	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Grad rate: 67.4%	AZ	+$215,026	$55,556	$28,047	N/A	Full ROI →
28	University of Houston Grad rate: 64.0%	TX	+$173,428	$53,177	$25,056	N/A	Full ROI →
29	University of Tulsa Grad rate: 72.8%	OK	+$155,814	$56,100	$63,093	N/A	Full ROI →
30	Washington University in St Louis Grad rate: 94.1%	MO	+$153,408	$58,018	$83,476	N/A	Full ROI →
31	Champlain College Grad rate: 63.8%	VT	+$76,580	$52,129	$63,000	N/A	Full ROI →
32	St. John's University-New York Grad rate: 68.9%	NY	-$164,722	$39,957	$61,931	N/A	Full ROI →
33	University of Southern California Grad rate: 92.2%	CA	-$169,296	$42,003	$84,678	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 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies Degrees by State

Browse Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.