How Much Does Law School Cost?

Low rates. No fees. Just money for college.

Originally posted on March 10, 2016

With the average attorney salary at more than $120,000 just a few years out of law school, it is no wonder that many people are attracted to this field as a career.

However, the cost of law school — factoring in tuition, fees, room and board, and more — is high at many institutions. To pay for law school, many students rely on financial aid, including borrowing student loans.

Below you can find the cost of attendance for the U.S. News & World Report’s top-ranked law schools in the United States, as well as links to top sources of non-loan aid.

Average law school tuition

Rank	School Name	2015-2016 Tuition	2015-2016 Total COA	Top Sources of Non-Loan Aid
1	Yale University	$55,800	$78,326	1. Yale Law School Grants (Need-based)
2 (Tie)	Harvard University	$57,200	$85,000	1. Harvard Law School Grant and Loan Assistance (Need-based)
2 (Tie)	Stanford University	$54,183	$85,968	1. Stanford Financial Aid 2. Yellow Ribbon Program
4 (Tie)	Columbia University	$60,624	$88,530	1. Need-based grants 2. Fellowships (No separate application – considered at the time of admittance) 3. Yellow Ribbon Program
4 (Tie)	University of Chicago	$56,916	$84,129	1. Scholarships (No additional application needed) 2. Need-based scholarships 3. Yellow Ribbon Program
6	New York University	$57,544	$85,964	1. Dean’s Award Scholarship 2. Furman Academic Scholars Program 3. Mitchell Jacobson Leadership Program in Law & Business 4. Cybersecurity Service Scholarship 5. AnBryce Scholarship Program 6. Latino Rights Scholarship 7. Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholarship Program 8. Sinsheimer Service Scholarship 9. Furman Public Policy Scholarship Program
7	University of Pennsylvania	$55,300	$82,230	1. Merit Scholarships 2. Need-based grants 3. Toll Public Interest Scholars Program 4. Teach for America Scholarship
8 (Tie)	Duke University	$56,500	$80,937	1. Mordecai Scholars 2. Global Leaders Scholarship Program
8 (Tie)	University of California-Berkeley	$48,654.50 (Resident); $52,575.50 (Non-Resident)	$78,198.50 (Resident); $82,149.50 (Non-Resident)	1. Entering Student Scholarships 2. Continuing Student Scholarships 3. UC Scholarships 4. Need-based grants
8 (Tie)	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	$53,153 (Resident); $56,153 (Non-Resident)	$71,703 (Resident); $74,703 (Non-Resident)	1. Need-based law school grants 2. Merit-based law school scholarships
11	University of Virginia	$54,000 (Resident); $57,000 (Non-Resident)	$76,529 (Resident); $79,639 (Non-Resident)	1. Merit scholarships 2. Need-based scholarships
12	Northwestern University	$58,098	$83,296	1. Irell & Manella Diversity Scholarship 2. Kirkland & Ellis LLP Diversity Fellowship Program 3. Winston & Strawn LLP Diversity Scholarship 4. Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP Diversity Scholarship 5. Yellow Ribbon Program
13	Cornell University	$59,900	$80,132	1. Institutional Scholarships
14	Georgetown University	$55,255	$82,700	1. Need-based grants 2. Yellow ribbon program
15	University of Texas-Austin	$33,162 (Resident); $49,244 (Non-Resident)	$53,606 (Resident); $69,958 (Non-Resident)	1. Merit-only scholarships 2. Need, Disadvantage or Adversity Scholarships 3. Merit and Need scholarships
16	University of California-Los Angeles	$45,284.26 (Resident); $51,778.26 (Non-Resident)	$68,452.26 (Resident); $74,946.26 (Non-Resident)	1. Need Access Grant 2. UCLA Law Departmental Scholarships 3. Yellow Ribbon Program
17	Vanderbilt University	$50,900	$75,866	1. Law Scholar Merit Award 2. Law School Merit Scholarships 3. Need-Based Scholarships 4. Yellow Ribbon Program 5. Teach for America Corps Merit Scholarships
18	Washington University in St. Louis	$51,216	$75,232	1. Washington University Scholarships
19	Emory University	$50,900	$75,003	1. Woodruff Fellows Program 2. Merit-based scholarships 3. Yellow Ribbon Program 4. Resident Director Positions 5. Emory Employee Founder Scholarship 6. Scholarships for Women 7. International student scholarships
20 (Tie)	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	$42,230 (Resident); $50,372 (Non-Resident)	$60,394 (Resident); $68,536 (Non-Resident)	1. Scholarships
20 (Tie)	University of Southern California (Gould)	$57,286	$75,286-$82,286	1. USC Gould Scholarships
22 (Tie)	George Washington University	$54,114	$80,400	1. Need-based grants
22 (Tie)	University of Alabama	$22,020 (Resident); $37,360 (Non-Resident)	Not Available	1. Law School Scholarships
22 (Tie)	University of Iowa	$22,348 (Resident); $40,192 (Non-Resident)	$41,016 (Resident); $58,860 (Non-resident)	1. Merit-based scholarships 2. UI Law Foundation Scholarships 3. Law Opportunity Fellowships
22 (Tie)	University of Notre Dame	$51,892	$72,322	1. Merit-based scholarships 2. Polking Family Fellowship 3. Yellow Ribbon Program 4. On-campus Employment