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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

With 45,189 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, legal professions is the #7 most popular major in the United States.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Value Legal Professions Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. 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 2023 rankings named Thomas Jefferson School of Law the best value school in the United States for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a fairly 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.

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#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Drake University is a great value for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Drake are $11,988 a year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Drake University

#3

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University Global. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Purdue University Global is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Indianapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Purdue University Global are $10,582 per year.

Full Legal Professions at Purdue University Global Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. WMU-Cooley Law School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Lansing.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at WMU-Cooley Law School are $14,440 per year.

Full Legal Professions at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School Report

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 large suburb of Bristol, Roger Williams University School of Law is a private not-for-profit school 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.

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University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at University of Virginia are $33,520 per 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.

Full Legal Professions at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#7

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

Gonzaga 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 #7 on the list. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Spokane.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Gonzaga are $14,878 a year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Gonzaga University

#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

Liberty 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 #8 on the list. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Lynchburg.

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

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With a ranking of #9, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly 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

Seattle 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 #10 on the list. Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Seattle U are $14,310 a 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 city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UT Austin are $22,944 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UT Austin is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list.

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

Northern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

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

Full Legal Professions at Northern Illinois University Report

#13

Southwestern Law School

Los Angeles, CA

Southwestern Law School landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Southwestern Law School is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Southwestern Law School are $18,430 a year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Southwestern Law School

#13

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

University of South Dakota landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. 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.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of South Dakota

#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 came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at OCU are $13,410 per year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Oklahoma City University

#17

Fordham University

Bronx, NY

Fordham University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Located in the city of Bronx, Fordham U is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Fordham U graduate students pay an average of $23,846 in tuition and fees each year.

Fordham U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list.

Full Legal Professions at Fordham University Report

#18

Mississippi College

Clinton, MS

Mississippi College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Located in the large suburb of Clinton, MC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at MC are $12,796 per year.

Full Legal Professions at Mississippi College Report

#19

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

UPenn graduate students pay an average of $42,932 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, UPenn 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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With a ranking of #20, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Law did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. UIPR School of Law is a 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.

Full Legal Professions at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - School of Law Report

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 large city of Lincoln.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNL are $19,541 per year.

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

#22

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree legal professions programs. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Loyola Marymount are $19,922 a year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Loyola Marymount University

#23

Creighton University

Omaha, NE

Creighton University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-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 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 #23 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, NYU 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 NYU are $38,206 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, NYU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Legal Professions at New York University

#25

Villanova University

Villanova, PA

With a ranking of #25, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for legal professions students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Villanova are $21,199 per year.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Villanova University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Legal Professions graduate students seeking value that almost earned our 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 Research 6,659
Legal Professions (Other) 1,424
Legal Support Services 446
Non-Professional General Legal Studies 444

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration & Social Service 53,252
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

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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