2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Legal Professions School for You
Legal Professions is the #16 most popular major in the country with 61,055 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Legal Professions Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 311 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for legal professions students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Legal Professions
Our analysis found Thomas Jefferson School of Law to be the best value school for legal professions students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.
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The excellent programs at El Centro College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best legal professions schools in the United States. El Centro College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Dallas.
El Centro College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that legal professions majors at El Centro College take out is $15,501.
El Centro College also claimed a spot on our Best Legal Professions Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anoka Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. Located in the suburb of Anoka, Anoka Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 per year.
Anoka Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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The excellent programs at Inver Hills Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best legal professions schools in the United States. IHCC is a small public school located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $5,809 per year. On average, legal professions graduates from IHCC take out $22,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, IHCC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Hennepin Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from North Hennepin Community College carry an average student debtload of $27,804.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Hennepin Community College also did well on our Best Legal Professions Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #6, Oakland Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. Oakland Community College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills.
Oakland Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,200 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from Oakland Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,492.
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With a ranking of #7, American Public University System did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. American Military University is a very large private for-profit school located in the fringe town of Charles Town.
American Military University undergraduate students pay an average of $7,360 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from American Military University carry an average student debtload of $30,648.
American Military University also claimed a spot on our Best Legal Professions Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Bellevue University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for legal professions students. It came in at #8 on the list. Bellevue University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Bellevue.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bellevue University are $8,310 per year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from Bellevue University carry an average student debtload of $33,682.
Bellevue University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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With a ranking of #9, San Jacinto Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. San Jacinto College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jacinto College are $5,040 a year.
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Kirkwood Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value legal professions programs. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.
Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,072 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, legal professions majors at Kirkwood Community College accumulate an average of around $25,083 in student debt.
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Baton Rouge Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. BRCC is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Baton Rouge.
BRCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,221 in tuition and fees each year.
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Southwestern Illinois College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
SWIC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,940 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from SWIC carry an average student debtload of $8,956.
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With a ranking of #13, Phoenix College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. Located in the large city of Phoenix, Phoenix College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Phoenix College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,854 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from Phoenix College carry an average student debtload of $15,813.
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Portland Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value legal professions programs. Located in the large city of Portland, Portland Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
Portland Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,670 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, legal professions graduates from Portland Community College carry an average student debtload of $23,666.
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Valencia College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value legal professions programs. Valencia College is a very large public school located in the city of Orlando.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Valencia College are $9,383 per year. The average amount in student loans that legal professions majors at Valencia College take out is $15,501.
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Cerritos College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools ranking. Cerritos College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Norwalk.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cerritos College are $10,026 a year. The average amount in student loans that legal professions majors at Cerritos College take out is $16,650.
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Austin Community College District came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools ranking. Austin Community College District is a very large public school located in the city of Austin.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Community College District are $10,590 per year. Legal Professions majors at Austin Community College District take out an average of $11,808 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #18, Central New Mexico Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. CNM is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Albuquerque.
CNM undergraduate students pay an average of $7,540 in tuition and fees each year.
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Ivy Tech Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for legal professions students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Ivy Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,927 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, legal professions majors at Ivy Tech Community College accumulate an average of around $14,600 in student debt.
Ivy Tech Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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With a ranking of #20, Sinclair Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sinclair Community College are $8,076 per year.
Sinclair Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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With a ranking of #21, Central Piedmont Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. Central Piedmont Community College is a large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Piedmont Community College are $8,936 per year.
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National Paralegal College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. Located in the large city of Phoenix, National Paralegal College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
National Paralegal College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,995 in tuition and fees each year. On average, legal professions graduates from National Paralegal College take out $40,868 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value legal professions programs. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,210 in tuition and fees each year.
MCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Schools list.
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Brookdale Community College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools list. Located in the rural area of Lincroft, Brookdale Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brookdale Community College are $9,554 per year. While working on their degree, legal professions majors at Brookdale Community College accumulate an average of around $14,750 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #23, Des Moines Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students. DMACC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMACC are $10,440 a year. On average, legal professions graduates from DMACC take out $14,243 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Legal Professions Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | Hodges University | Naples, FL |
| 48 | Herzing University - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 49 | St Petersburg College | Clearwater, FL |
| 50 | Nassau Community College | Garden City, NY |
| 51 | University of Houston - Clear Lake | Houston, TX |
| 52 | Rasmussen University - Minnesota | St. Cloud, MN |
| 53 | Rasmussen University - Wisconsin | Green Bay, WI |
| 54 | City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College | Chicago, IL |
| 55 | Salt Lake Community College | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 56 | Anne Arundel Community College | Arnold, MD |
| 57 | Indian River State College | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 58 | Rasmussen University - Illinois | Rockford, IL |
| 59 | SUNY Canton | Canton, NY |
| 60 | Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School | Lansing, MI |
| 61 | Minnesota State University - Moorhead | Moorhead, MN |
| 62 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
Legal Professions by Region
View the Best Value Legal Professions Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Legal Professions Rankings
Legal Professions Related Majors for Legal Professions
Legal Professions Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Law | 36,216 |
| Legal Support Services | 11,545 |
| Legal Research | 6,874 |
| Non-Professional General Legal Studies | 4,407 |
| Legal Professions (Other) | 2,013 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Legal Professions
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting | 142,610 |
| Public Administration & Social Service | 98,583 |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies | 73,813 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 4,477 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to The wub.
More about our data sources and methodologies.