Law Schools Ranked by Average Salary for Graduates in the Private Sector
Keep it in context
The average salary of a graduating class does not indicate the actual prestige i.e. ranking of that law school. For instance, thecost of living in cities like San Francisco and New York is higher and the salaries reflect this. Most law schools have graduates that tend to work in one geographic location. Like any other professional field certain practice areas and types of law firms are more lucrative than others. In addition, graduates from top schools find it easier to obtain associate positions at large firms that tend to pay much more than the small and medium size firms where lower tiered law graduates earn associate positions.
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| Rank | Law School | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | UC Berkley | $160,000 |
| 1 (tie) |
Northwestern
University
|
160,000 |
| 1 (tie) |
Georgetown
University
|
160,000 |
| 1 (tie) |
Fordham
University
|
160,000 |
| 2 (tie) | Yale | 145,000 |
| 2 (tie) |
University of
Virginia
|
145,000 |
| 2 (tie) |
New
York
University
|
145,000 |
| 2 (tie) | Cornell | 145,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
William &
Mary
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
University of
Southern
Cal.
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
University of
Pennsylvania
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
University of
Michigan
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
University
of
Chicago
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
Stanford
University
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) | Harvard | 135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
Duke
University
|
135,000 |
| 3 (tie) |
Boston
University
|
135,000 |
| 4 (tie) |
Washington
Univ. in St. Louis
|
130,000 |
| 4 (tie) |
UC Los
Angeles
|
130,000 |
| 4 (tie) |
Howard
University
|
130,000 |
| 5 | UC Hastings | 128,488 |
| 6 (tie) |
University of
Illinois
|
125,000 |
| 6 (tie) |
Columbia
University
|
125,000 |
| 6 (tie) |
Boston
College
|
125,000 |
| 7 |
Benjamin N.
Cardozo, Yeshiva Univ.
|
124,174 |
| 8 |
George
Washington
|
123,549 |
| 9 |
George
Mason Univ.
|
120,000 |
| 10 (tie) |
Vanderbilt
University
|
115,000 |
| 10 (tie) |
Tulane
University
|
115,000 |
| 10 (tie) |
Rutgers
University
-
Newark
|
115,000 |
| 10 (tie) |
Emory
University
|
115,000 |
| 11 | SMU Dedman | 114,037 |
Rank 1 -11
| Rank | Law School | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Univ. of Texas | $113,000 |
| 13 |
Seton Hall Univ.
|
110,276 |
| 14 |
Univ. of Washington
|
110,094 |
| 15 (tie) |
Washington and Lee
|
110,000 |
| 15 (tie) |
Santa Clara
University
|
110,000 |
| 16 |
Brigham
Young Univ.
|
109,354 |
| 17 |
Temple
Univ.
|
108,303 |
| 18 | Notre Dame | 105,451 |
| 19 |
University of
Wisconsin
|
105,000 |
| 20 |
Brooklyn Law
School
|
104,000 |
| 21 |
University
of
Miami
|
103,500 |
| 22 (tie) |
Villanova University
|
100,000 |
| 22 (tie) |
University of
Minnesota
|
100,000 |
| 22 (tie) |
University
of
Georgia
|
100,000 |
| 23 | Rutgers - Newark | 98,000 |
| 24 |
Ohio State
University
|
96,559 |
| 25 (tie) |
University of North Carolina
|
95,000 |
| 25 (tie) |
University
of Iowa
|
95,000 |
| 25 (tie) |
Franklin Pierece
|
95,000 |
| 26 |
UC Davis
|
93,274 |
| 27 (tie) | Southern University | 92,500 |
| 27 (tie) |
New
York Law School
|
92,500 |
| 28 |
University of San Diego
|
91,020 |
| 29 (tie) |
University of Cincinnati
|
90,000 |
| 29 (tie) |
University
of Arizona
|
90,000 |
| 29 (tie) |
Pepperdine University
|
90,000 |
| 30 |
Syracuse University
|
89,700 |
| 31 (tie) |
Northeastern University
|
87,500 |
| 31 (tie) |
American University
|
87,500 |
| 32 |
Hofstra University
|
86,000 |
| 33 (tie) |
University of Maryland
|
85,000 |
| 33 (Tie) | University of Akron | 85,000 |
Rank 12 - 33
| Rank | Law School | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 33 (tie) | Texas Southern University | $85,000 |
| 33 (tie) |
Indiana
University
|
85,000 |
| 34 |
University
of the Pacific, McGeorge
|
83,667 |
| 35 |
University of Tennessee
|
83,300 |
| 36 (tie) |
University of Houston
|
80,000 |
| 36 (tie) |
University
of
Florida
|
80,000 |
| 36 (tie) |
University of Colorado
|
80,000 |
| 36 (tie) | The Catholic University of America | 80,000 |
| 36 (tie) |
St.
John's
University
|
80,000 |
| 36 (tie) |
Loyola Marymount University (CA)
|
80,000 |
| 37 | 79,000 | |
| 38 (tie) |
Wake
Forest University
|
77,000 |
| 38 (tie) |
Texas Tech University
|
77,000 |
| 39 |
Pace
University
|
76,167 |
| 40 (tie) | University of Pittsburgh | 75,000 |
| 40 (tie) |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
|
75,000 |
| 40 (tie) |
Stetson
University
|
75,000 |
| 40 (tie) | 75,000 | |
| 40 (tie) |
Loyola University (Chicago)
|
75,000 |
| 40 (tie) |
Chicago-Kent Col. of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
|
75,000 |
| 40 (tie) | Case Western Reserve University | 75,000 |
| 41 |
Arizona State University
|
74,598 |
| 42 |
Baylor
University
|
74,247 |
| 43 |
University of Connecticut
|
74,000 |
| 44 | 72,500 | |
| 45 (tie) | 70,000 | |
| 45 (tie) |
Suffolk
University
|
70,000 |
| 45 (tie) |
Georgia State
University
|
75,000 |
| 45 (tie) |
Chapman
University
|
75,000 |
| 46 |
Mercer
University
|
68,661 |
| 47 |
University of Alabama
|
68,353 |
| 48 | University of Richmond | 68,158 |
Rank 33 - 48
* denotes provisional ABA accreditation