We ranked more than 160 law schools based on standard of living for public service.
Standard of Living calculates median public salary minus state and local taxes and debt payments, and then modifies that number by a regional cost of living adjustment.
We relied on U.S. News & World Report for data on indebtedness, salary information and placement by job type. We used debt repayment information from Jeffrey Hanson Education Services, using the lowest annual plan for new graduates. We used Federal and State tax data from the Tax Foundation and cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. For both state taxes and cost of living, we used data from U.S. News on where graduates were employed.
Loan repayment programs very school to school in terms of type of employment that is covered and how much is available. We came up with a rating to grade each school based on likelihood and amount that a student could expect.
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A school received the highest rating — a 5 — if it was probable that the graduate’s entire debt would be covered by either state or school LRAP programs. It received a “0” if there was little likelihood of receiving any loan repayment. We relied on Equal Justice Works and the ABA for data on school and state loan repayment plans. However, Equal Justice Works data was incomplete and so we gathered additional data from law school websites.
More than 85 percent of recent graduates in public service will pay between $3,000 and $6,000 in loans a year, if they adopt the income-based loan repayment plan. This would mean that a school with a “5” is likely to cover that full amount, and a student can expect to see their standard of living improve by a similar amount.
| Law school | Median Public Salary | Standard of Living for public service | LRAPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Louisville | $71,500 | $52,990 | 0 |
| Southern University Law Center | $62,494 | $47,241 | 4 |
| University of Cincinnati | $61,000 | $41,534 | 3 |
| Creighton University | $60,000 | $41,257 | 3 |
| University of Tulsa | $58,000 | $40,791 | 0 |
| University of Denver | $64,225 | $40,459 | 2 |
| Loyola University New Orleans | $57,287 | $40,415 | 2 |
| Charleston School of Law | $60,000 | $39,737 | 1 |
| Northern Kentucky University | $56,000 | $39,518 | 0 |
| Georgia State University | $51,630 | $39,350 | 0 |
| Texas Tech University | $55,000 | $39,245 | 3 |
| Nova Southeastern University | $59,000 | $39,208 | 3 |
| University of Missouri | $54,000 | $39,020 | 0 |
| University of Utah | $58,800 | $38,945 | 2 |
| Baylor University | $54,950 | $38,760 | 3 |
| University of Kentucky | $50,000 | $38,183 | 0 |
| Stetson University | $57,204 | $38,156 | 3 |
| University of Arkansas-Fayetteville | $54,500 | $38,085 | 0 |
| St. Louis University | $53,500 | $37,950 | 0 |
| Wayne State University | $55,000 | $37,013 | 0 |
| University of Tennessee-Knoxville | $51,000 | $37,001 | 0 |
| University of Houston | $52,000 | $36,975 | 3 |
| Case Western Reserve University | $60,000 | $36,912 | 3 |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | $58,000 | $36,909 | 4 |
| University of Wyoming | $55,500 | $36,500 | 0 |
| University of Dayton | $54,000 | $36,364 | 3 |
| University of Akron | $53,500 | $36,178 | 3 |
| Loyola University Chicago | $57,000 | $35,662 | 2 |
| University of Minnesota | $59,805 | $35,388 | 4 |
| Texas Wesleyan University | $50,000 | $35,280 | 3 |
| University of Arkansas-Little Rock | $50,500 | $35,113 | 0 |
| Arizona State University | $55,000 | $35,076 | 0 |
| University of Chicago | $62,467 | $34,975 | 2 |
| University of North Dakota | $49,000 | $34,883 | 0 |
| Emory University | $58,000 | $34,616 | 0 |
| University of Kansas | $50,000 | $34,613 | 0 |
| Campbell University | $50,000 | $34,541 | 3 |
| Tulane University | $56,948 | $34,164 | 4 |
| University of Texas | $52,000 | $34,158 | 4 |
| University of Mississippi | $50,000 | $34,113 | 0 |
| Elon University | $48,000 | $33,869 | 3 |
| University of Memphis | $46,000 | $33,746 | 0 |
| Gonzaga University | $56,000 | $33,741 | 0 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | $51,722 | $33,661 | 3 |
| University of St. Thomas | $49,750 | $33,640 | 4 |
| University of New Hampshire School of Law | $59,000 | $33,612 | 0 |
| Ohio State University | $52,000 | $33,594 | 3 |
| Brigham Young University | $53,000 | $33,321 | 0 |
| Southern Illinois University | $51,000 | $33,274 | 2 |
| University of North Carolina | $50,000 | $33,246 | 4 |
| Northern Illinois University | $50,000 | $33,138 | 2 |
| Mercer University | $48,000 | $33,048 | 0 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | $54,000 | $33,014 | 0 |
| University of Idaho | $51,500 | $33,011 | 0 |
| Faulkner University | $45,000 | $33,005 | 0 |
| Lewis & Clark College | $55,937 | $32,682 | 4 |
| Texas Southern University | $42,000 | $32,113 | 3 |
| Drake University | $44,000 | $32,102 | 2 |
| University of Miami | $50,469 | $32,038 | 3 |
| University of Alabama | $45,000 | $32,000 | 0 |
| University of Oklahoma | $45,000 | $31,963 | 0 |
| University of California–Berkeley | $62,712 | $31,961 | 4 |
| Albany Law School | $57,000 | $31,942 | 2 |
| Hamline University | $52,000 | $31,730 | 2 |
| Washington and Lee University | $55,000 | $31,717 | 4 |
| Oklahoma City University | $45,000 | $31,715 | 0 |
| University of Notre Dame | $53,000 | $31,575 | 0 |
| University of Arizona | $50,400 | $31,473 | 0 |
| Boston College | $62,000 | $31,426 | 3 |
| University of Detroit Mercy | $50,000 | $31,408 | 0 |
| University of San Francisco | $58,000 | $31,272 | 0 |
| University of Iowa | $48,000 | $31,206 | 4 |
| University of Florida | $47,409 | $31,159 | 3 |
| Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School | $45,000 | $31,035 | 0 |
| Wake Forest University | $49,100 | $31,032 | 3 |
| University of Virginia | $56,087 | $31,025 | 5 |
| Yale University | $58,645 | $30,973 | 5 |
| University of Nevada–Las Vegas | $47,500 | $30,964 | 0 |
| Michigan State University | $48,000 | $30,960 | 0 |
| Mississippi College | $45,282 | $30,957 | 0 |
| University of Richmond | $52,000 | $30,942 | 3 |
| DePaul University | $48,000 | $30,915 | 2 |
| West Virginia University | $46,204 | $30,852 | 0 |
| University of New Mexico | $43,600 | $30,702 | 0 |
| University of Baltimore | $55,000 | $30,545 | 4 |
| Villanova University | $54,111 | $30,504 | 2 |
| Samford University | $42,586 | $30,463 | 0 |
| University of Colorado–Boulder | $47,000 | $30,334 | 1 |
| University of Missouri-Kansas City | $42,000 | $30,325 | 0 |
| Washburn University | $45,000 | $30,272 | 0 |
| University of Nebraska | $41,600 | $30,250 | 0 |
| Marquette University | $46,000 | $30,149 | 2 |
| University of Toledo | $45,000 | $30,121 | 3 |
| Duke University | $55,000 | $30,047 | 3 |
| Southern Methodist University | $41,100 | $29,922 | 3 |
| University of South Carolina | $43,858 | $29,845 | 1 |
| St. Mary’s University | $41,000 | $29,732 | 3 |
| Valparaiso University | $45,675 | $29,608 | 0 |
| University of Montana | $44,000 | $29,585 | 1 |
| South Texas College of Law | $40,746 | $29,568 | 4 |
| University of Washington | $50,000 | $29,550 | 1 |
| University of Maine | $53,000 | $29,547 | 2 |
| University of San Diego | $58,500 | $29,546 | 1 |
| Georgetown University | $60,000 | $29,455 | 3 |
| Capital University | $42,500 | $29,387 | 4 |
| Stanford University | $55,686 | $29,379 | 5 |
| Florida State University | $43,000 | $29,377 | 3 |
| College of William and Mary | $49,000 | $29,224 | 4 |
| Ave Maria School of Law | $47,000 | $29,197 | 3 |
| University of Oregon | $49,562 | $29,155 | 3 |
| Western New England College | $56,500 | $29,131 | 2 |
| University of California–Los Angeles | $58,500 | $28,976 | 0 |
| Charlotte School of Law | $39,950 | $28,916 | 3 |
| George Mason University | $48,000 | $28,888 | 3 |
| University of South Dakota | $41,272 | $28,875 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania State University | $50,000 | $28,858 | 2 |
| University of Illinois | $46,226 | $28,791 | 2 |
| Temple University | $51,000 | $28,709 | 4 |
| University of Pennsylvania | $55,500 | $28,689 | 2 |
| Thomas M. Cooley Law School | $44,814 | $28,541 | 0 |
| Whittier College | $57,000 | $28,380 | 1 |
| University of California–Davis | $55,000 | $28,228 | 2 |
| Syracuse University | $49,500 | $28,224 | 0 |
| Florida Coastal School of Law | $42,000 | $28,203 | 3 |
| George Washington University | $56,411 | $28,164 | 4 |
| Vanderbilt University | $45,400 | $28,089 | 0 |
| Boston University | $53,645 | $27,956 | 4 |
| Florida A&M University | $41,000 | $27,908 | 3 |
| University of Georgia | $40,000 | $27,513 | 1 |
| Howard University | $53,000 | $27,428 | 3 |
| William Mitchell College of Law | $45,000 | $27,110 | 4 |
| Barry University | $40,000 | $27,098 | 3 |
| Chapman University | $55,000 | $27,094 | 1 |
| Drexel University | $42,586 | $27,043 | 3 |
| American University | $52,000 | $26,915 | 3 |
| Cleveland State University | $40,000 | $26,914 | 4 |
| Seton Hall University | $52,000 | $26,752 | 0 |
| Pepperdine University | $52,000 | $26,725 | 2 |
| University of Pittsburgh | $45,695 | $26,704 | 2 |
| University of Connecticut | $50,000 | $26,701 | 0 |
| Willamette University | $44,000 | $26,532 | 2 |
| Cornell University | $58,000 | $26,520 | 0 |
| Golden Gate University | $53,334 | $26,465 | 2 |
| Harvard University | $50,000 | $26,455 | 2 |
| Ohio Northern University | $40,000 | $25,981 | 3 |
| University of the Pacific | $50,432 | $25,773 | 0 |
| University of Michigan | $45,689 | $25,697 | 4 |
| Vermont Law School | $44,500 | $25,457 | 2 |
| University of Maryland | $44,125 | $25,431 | 5 |
| Duquesne University | $42,000 | $25,426 | 2 |
| Thomas Jefferson School of Law | $50,154 | $25,287 | 0 |
| Roger Williams University | $45,000 | $24,592 | 2 |
| Rutgers-Camden | $45,000 | $24,358 | 0 |
| St. John’s University | $58,500 | $24,267 | 0 |
| New England School of Law | $46,750 | $24,106 | 2 |
| Yeshiva University | $55,360 | $23,416 | 0 |
| University of Hawaii | $55,000 | $23,402 | 0 |
| Hofstra University | $56,000 | $23,402 | 0 |
| California Western School of Law | $46,000 | $23,353 | 0 |
| Northwestern University | $40,000 | $23,151 | 5 |
| Loyola Law School, Los Angeles | $46,461 | $23,133 | 0 |
| Suffolk University | $43,912 | $23,001 | 4 |
| University at Buffalo–SUNY | $40,000 | $22,885 | 0 |
| Regent University | $36,000 | $22,748 | 3 |
| University of Southern California | $45,000 | $22,397 | 0 |
| Santa Clara University | $40,500 | $22,328 | 0 |
| Brooklyn Law School | $53,250 | $22,299 | 0 |
| Widener University | $45,000 | $22,006 | 0 |
| New York University | $51,750 | $21,765 | 5 |
| CUNY | $49,500 | $21,736 | 1 |
| Rutgers-Newark | $42,172 | $21,422 | 0 |
| University of California-Hastings | $42,000 | $21,411 | 3 |
| Fordham University | $55,500 | $21,165 | 0 |
| Columbia University | $50,200 | $20,774 | 0 |
| New York Law School | $51,871 | $20,763 | 0 |
| University of La Verne | $38,000 | $20,005 | 0 |
| Southwestern Law School | $38,000 | $19,806 | 0 |
| Touro College | $46,239 | $19,463 | 0 |
| Pace University | $40,000 | $17,771 | 2 |
