10 Law Degrees With Most Financial Value at Graduation

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I know it's been a while, but these statistics are misleading. The law schools listed are likely to pad their numbers and select only their highest paid graduates to report. Please, before you go to law school, do your research.

Mitchell of TN 2:21PM June 04, 2012

Lawdog -
You understand it. That puts you a step ahead of most of your soon-to-be colleagues.

Esq of NY 3:07PM December 05, 2011

Having been accepted to Rutgers Camden and about to take out large loans this ad was soothing. The comments however have left me seething. If law school is so expensive, why do people keep going? It is a promise of long hours, high debt, a dense and complex workload at a job that may or may not pay well.

lawdog of NJ 3:13PM May 26, 2011

I love the low cost as a 2L at Southern University Law. I am an out of state student, and the total cost at Southern out of state is much less than any of the law schools in my home state. One of the main reasons I chose this law school was because of the low cost.

eeddos of LA 5:49AM April 28, 2011

Flaws in the self reporting nature of the survey combined with many law schools' unwillingness to honestly publish real permanent employment rates rates are fairly well documented. There is a negative feedback loop between law schools fighting for high rankings in this survey and maintaining status quo to limit market information about the debt-saddled, unemployed subclass who lost the law school lottery.

SpecKK of UT 10:25PM April 05, 2011

This article is a complete sham because it is based on self-serving and misleading data reported by the schools themselves. If you want a good laugh, or maybe a cry, there are articles on the internet that detail the flaws in the data collection as well as convenient and unchecked ways to inflate or deflate all the numbers. As a recent graduate of Rutgers Camden I can assure you the median starting salary is not $115,000, it is much closer to 50k, and the average debt is nowhere near $32,000, it is much closer to 70k (tuition for in-state residents alone is 22k a year. Let us not forget about books, room & board, etc...). Thank you Rutgers for submitting more misleading and self-serving school-reported data.

The Truth of NJ 1:50PM April 05, 2011

As a 3L at The University of Cincinnati, I'd really like for my school to stop holding out on me and let me know where these supposed $115,000 a year jobs are. Because our career center sure as hell isn't letting the majority of my classmates in on the secret.

H of OH 12:43PM April 05, 2011

I noticed both Georgia State and University of Georgia are on here yet Emory is not. $100k+ jobs are usually for BIGLAW. I wonder if those two markets are putting out more BIGLAW jobs then Emory. This seems very hard to imagine. Emory is an amazing law school (especially in the GA markets.) What's the deal, US News?

LAWGUY of FL 2:12AM April 02, 2011

Or was this just an early prank to make sure publication deadlines were met?
Seriously, though, no offence to graduates of Southern University's law program, but there is no way the average STARTING salary for your students is $100,000.00 when your school only had a bar passage rate of 55% last summer and your bar passage rate has continuously been the lowest in the state of Louisiana. I am certain there are great lawyers from your program (I know many), but it is obvious that this number is the result of self-reporting and is not typical of a first-year attorney graduating from Southern University. Reporting such numbers as typical is doing a disservice to students who enroll in Southern University's program. As for those who claim such high figures come from the fact that most Southern graduates enter practice on their own straight after graduating, perhaps this is true. They can generate up to $100,000.00, minus insurance, office rent, filing fees, gas to and from court, support staff salaries, professional memberships, and other costs. However, first, this $100,000.00 is not a salary. It is gross revenue. Second, since 45% of the graduates do not even pass the bar, they cannot open up their own firms to earn $100,000.00 in gross revenue. Southern University needs a bigger sample size to get a more accurate picture of starting salaries. Who knows, Southern is so cheap it may still be in the top ten of this list?
Prospective students, unless you graduate from Tulane, you are unlikely to get a starting salary of $100,000.00. Expect somewhere between $30,000.00 to $40,000.00 your first year. US News, I know it is not your fault this list is so messed up. Just make sure people know all the facts before they enter law school expecting an automatic six figure salary.

Chuck of LA 5:01PM March 31, 2011

Its unfortunate that educated people even feel the need to have this type of dialogue. I graduated from SULC and believe I obtained a solid legal education. I passed an out of state bar on the first time taking it and I make a comfortable living for myself and family.
Law school, just like every other type of educational institution, is what you make of it. If you put in the time studying and honing your writing and presentation skills you will be successful. If you don't, you will not.
The same law taught in other Louisiana law schools is taught at SULC. The same analytical reasoing skills developed at other law schools are developed by the rigors of the SULC program.
The article is about salary to debt ratio. It is a fact that the program is inexpensive in comparison and with the night program and available scholarships, students generally have low debt upon completion. A majority of its graduates enter private practice for themselves so the ability to earn higher income is great being that large firm opportunities are slim in comparison to the number of persons graduating fromlaw school.
Regardless of what you choose to believe, the article is factual and it makes sense if you are able to pinpoint what it is actually saying. The fact that it is a sister institution of a historically black institution is even misleading since its student population is almost 50/50 black-white, if not 40/60 black/white.
Any comments that are not congratulating the school for the obvious accomplishment are ridiculous and indicative of the product coming from the school you purportedly represent.
Congrtulations Southern University Law Center on this accomplishment. Graduates I challenge you to continue to work hard an remember we are always being watched.

KCB of AL 4:25PM March 31, 2011