Law: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 22.01. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 410 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Associate's degree | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 45 | 0 | $38,280 | $142,745 | Data unavailable |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2 | 0 | $72,313 | Data unavailable | $22,750 1 programs |
| Master's degree | 60 | 0 | $54,158 | $65,341 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 53 | 30 | $79,705 | $105,518 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 238 | 39,417 | $80,459 | $107,773 | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 10 | 0 | $81,710 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern Maine ME · Public · 19 graduates measured | $83,045 | Data unavailable | $22,750 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest University NC · Private, nonprofit · 63 graduates measured | $112,502 | $102,929 | Data unavailable |
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 25 graduates measured | $85,340 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Massachusetts School of Law MA · Private, nonprofit · 60 graduates measured | $73,741 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Loyola Marymount University CA · Private, nonprofit · 25 graduates measured | $65,472 | $98,678 | Data unavailable |
| St. Mary's University TX · Private, nonprofit · 37 graduates measured | $59,674 | $54,265 | Data unavailable |
| University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras PR · Public · 203 graduates measured | $37,446 | $54,370 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Doctoral degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University NY · Private, nonprofit · 232 graduates measured | $221,831 | $259,851 | Data unavailable |
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 307 graduates measured | $215,478 | $261,230 | Data unavailable |
| Yale University CT · Private, nonprofit · 278 graduates measured | $126,228 | $188,189 | Data unavailable |
| Baylor University TX · Private, nonprofit · 228 graduates measured | $96,639 | $121,715 | Data unavailable |
| Pepperdine University CA · Private, nonprofit · 202 graduates measured | $93,519 | $126,561 | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 169 graduates measured | $92,516 | $130,428 | Data unavailable |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ · Public · 398 graduates measured | $84,081 | $111,668 | Data unavailable |
| Loyola University New Orleans LA · Private, nonprofit · 18 graduates measured | $83,917 | $81,071 | Data unavailable |
| Florida International University FL · Public · 236 graduates measured | $82,256 | $105,414 | Data unavailable |
| Suffolk University MA · Private, nonprofit · 484 graduates measured | $80,681 | $103,969 | Data unavailable |
| Belmont University TN · Private, nonprofit · 151 graduates measured | $76,814 | $100,168 | Data unavailable |
| Albany Law School NY · Private, nonprofit · 265 graduates measured | $73,907 | $89,212 | Data unavailable |
| University of New Hampshire-Main Campus NH · Public · 137 graduates measured | $73,556 | $100,597 | Data unavailable |
| Lewis & Clark College OR · Private, nonprofit · 273 graduates measured | $72,623 | $97,491 | Data unavailable |
| Mercer University GA · Private, nonprofit · 195 graduates measured | $72,508 | $90,359 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York NY · Private, nonprofit · 516 graduates measured | $226,792 | $308,943 | Data unavailable |
| Northwestern University IL · Private, nonprofit · 363 graduates measured | $220,974 | $291,132 | Data unavailable |
| New York University NY · Private, nonprofit · 540 graduates measured | $219,153 | $255,401 | Data unavailable |
| University of Pennsylvania PA · Private, nonprofit · 360 graduates measured | $218,872 | $302,120 | Data unavailable |
| Harvard University MA · Private, nonprofit · 310 graduates measured | $215,131 | $291,490 | Data unavailable |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus VA · Public · 436 graduates measured | $214,011 | $284,309 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Berkeley CA · Public · 449 graduates measured | $212,732 | $226,996 | Data unavailable |
| University of Chicago IL · Private, nonprofit · 288 graduates measured | $209,927 | $279,203 | Data unavailable |
| University of Southern California CA · Private, nonprofit · 265 graduates measured | $207,632 | $203,028 | Data unavailable |
| Fordham University NY · Private, nonprofit · 511 graduates measured | $205,946 | $232,595 | Data unavailable |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI · Public · 510 graduates measured | $204,630 | $224,391 | Data unavailable |
| Georgetown University DC · Private, nonprofit · 616 graduates measured | $200,986 | $226,624 | Data unavailable |
| Vanderbilt University TN · Private, nonprofit · 246 graduates measured | $194,248 | $196,797 | Data unavailable |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA · Public · 455 graduates measured | $178,034 | $177,968 | Data unavailable |
| Boston College MA · Private, nonprofit · 327 graduates measured | $175,620 | $190,940 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Graduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Connecticut CT · Public · 26 graduates measured | $91,533 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Law
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $159,670 | +4.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Judicial law clerks | $64,920 | +2.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers | $117,860 | 0.0% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators | $75,530 | +4.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates | $153,990 | +2.8% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Law teachers, postsecondary | $128,500 | +2.6% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
- 22.0101 Law