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Best Value Legal Professions Doctor's Degree Schools

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2023 Best Value Legal Professions Doctor's Degree Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

168 Colleges
$18,861 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$65,077 Avg Salary

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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Legal Professions Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 168 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value doctor's degree programs for legal professions students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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.

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for legal professions majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Our analysis found Thomas Jefferson School of Law to be the best value school for legal professions students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Thomas Jefferson School of Law are $1,620 a year.

Full Legal Professions at Thomas Jefferson School of Law Report

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Drake are $11,988 per year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Drake University

#3

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Purdue University Global. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Purdue University Global is a very large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.

Purdue University Global graduate students pay an average of $10,582 in tuition and fees each year.

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The excellent doctor’s degree programs at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value legal professions schools in the United States. WMU-Cooley Law School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Lansing.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at WMU-Cooley Law School are $14,440 a year.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Roger Williams University School of Law. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Bristol, Roger Williams University School of Law is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Roger Williams University School of Law are $12,803 a year.

Full Legal Professions at Roger Williams University School of Law Report

With a ranking of #6, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.

University of Virginia graduate students pay an average of $33,520 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of Virginia also did well on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#7

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

Gonzaga University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Gonzaga are $14,878 per year.

Full Legal Professions at Gonzaga University Report

#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

Liberty University graduate students pay an average of $8,360 in tuition and fees each year.

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University of California - Berkeley landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $29,262 in tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UC Berkeley is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list.

Full Legal Professions at University of California - Berkeley Report

#10

Seattle University

Seattle, WA

With a ranking of #10, Seattle University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Seattle U are $14,310 per year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Seattle University

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for legal professions students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a very large student population.

UT Austin graduate students pay an average of $22,944 in tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Austin also is in the top 10% of our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking.

Read full report on Legal Professions at The University of Texas at Austin

With a ranking of #12, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.

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#13

Southwestern Law School

Los Angeles, CA

Southwestern Law School ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Southwestern Law School is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Southwestern Law School are $18,430 per year.

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#13

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

University of South Dakota ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Vermillion.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.

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#15

Capital University

Columbus, OH

Capital University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for legal professions students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Capital is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Columbus.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Capital are $13,190 a year.

Full Legal Professions at Capital University Report

#16

Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at OCU are $13,410 a year.

Full Legal Professions at Oklahoma City University Report

#17

Fordham University

Bronx, NY

Fordham University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Fordham U are $23,846 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Fordham U is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list.

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#18

Mississippi College

Clinton, MS

Mississippi College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Clinton, MC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

MC graduate students pay an average of $12,796 in tuition and fees each year.

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#19

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

With a ranking of #19, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UPenn are $42,932 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UPenn also is in the top 5% of our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking.

Full Legal Professions at University of Pennsylvania Report

Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Law landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. UIPR School of Law is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Juan.

UIPR School of Law graduate students pay an average of $16,505 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Law

University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. UNL is a very large public school located in the city of Lincoln.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UNL are $19,541 a year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

#22

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #22, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Loyola Marymount graduate students pay an average of $19,922 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Loyola Marymount University

#23

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Located in the large city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Creighton are $19,096 per year.

Full Legal Professions at Creighton University Report

#23

New York University

New York, NY

New York University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

NYU graduate students pay an average of $38,206 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, NYU also did well on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#25

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

Villanova University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for legal professions students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 a year.

Full Legal Professions at Villanova University Report

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 Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
26 New York Law School New York, NY
27 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
27 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
29 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
30 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
31 University of Houston Houston, TX
31 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
33 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA

View the Best Value Legal Professions Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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

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.

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