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Average law school tuition
money

How Much Does Law School Cost?

By Catherine New Updated on September 1, 2020

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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.

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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

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Conquering the cost of an education.

Conquering the cost of an education.

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Catherine New
Disclaimer: This blog post provides personal finance educational information, and it is not intended to provide legal, financial, or tax advice.

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