Legal Professions & Studies
Legal Professions and Studies, Other: is it worth it?
DegreeReturn Rating — Strong value
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
Strong return
+$225,608 over 10 years
National picture across 26 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Legal Professions and Studies, Other pays
$67,031
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$76,775
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$55,272
Typical debt as of 2024
26
Colleges offering it
Is Legal Professions and Studies, Other worth it? Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly. Earnings vary a lot by college, so where you study matters — see the best-ROI colleges for this major below.
Legal Professions and Studies, Other vs similar majors
How Legal Professions and Studies, Other stacks up against the closest fields in Legal Professions & Studies on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other Legal Professions & Studies · this major | Law | Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Non-Professional Legal Studies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 69 B | 80 A | 80 A | 57 C |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $76,775 | $109,976 | $100,424 | $65,123 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $67,031 | $77,253 | $89,146 | $41,774 |
| ROI vs cost | +245% | +472% | +472% | +148% |
| Typical debt | $55,272 | $114,294 | $68,328 | $25,515 |
| Colleges offering it | 26 | 204 | 37 | 42 |
Legal Professions and Studies, Other earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Legal Professions and Studies, Other
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL | Certificate | $85,278 | — | +924% | Strong return |
| 2 | Bristol Community College Fall River, MA | Certificate | $50,642 | — | +917% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | Certificate | $100,380 | — | +883% | Strong return |
| 4 | University of the District of Columbia Washington, DC | Certificate | $55,278 | — | +865% | Strong return |
| 5 | New York University New York, NY | Certificate | $216,714 | $96,845 | +836% | Strong return |
| 6 | Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN | Doctoral | $93,725 | $61,500 | +811% | Strong return |
| 7 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Professional | $178,778 | $75,568 | +744% | Strong return |
| 8 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ | Associate's | $71,357 | — | +625% | Strong return |
| 9 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | Associate's | $90,720 | — | +494% | Strong return |
| 10 | Ball State University Muncie, IN | Associate's | $68,488 | $27,000 | +491% | Strong return |
| 11 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Associate's | $72,555 | $26,000 | +318% | Strong return |
| 12 | Drake University Des Moines, IA | Associate's | $68,055 | $23,125 | +246% | Strong return |
| 13 | Stevenson University Owings Mills, MD | Certificate | $84,000 | $41,000 | +222% | Strong return |
| 14 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA | Certificate | $65,656 | — | +183% | Strong return |
| 15 | Regent University Virginia Beach, VA | Doctoral | $61,684 | — | +109% | Strong return |
| 16 | Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT | Associate's | $60,549 | — | +91% | Strong return |
| 17 | St. Thomas University Miami Gardens, FL | Professional | $75,525 | $157,781 | +88% | Strong return |
| 18 | Roger Williams University Bristol, RI | Associate's | $60,443 | $27,000 | +80% | Strong return |
| 19 | Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA | Associate's | $47,192 | — | -28% | Poor return |
| 20 | Berkeley College-New York New York, NY | Associate's | $50,021 | $33,547 | -38% | Poor return |
| 21 | Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ | Associate's | $44,000 | $27,000 | -116% | Poor return |
| 22 | Bay Path University Longmeadow, MA | Associate's | $41,805 | — | -212% | Poor return |
| 23 | Humphreys University Stockton, CA | Associate's | $39,430 | — | -604% | Poor return |
| 24 | Monroe Community College Rochester, NY | Certificate | $41,258 | — | -689% | Poor return |
| 25 | Taft University System Denver, CO | Doctoral | $97,731 | — | — | Not enough data |
Related majors
Law $109,976Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies $100,424Non-Professional Legal Studies $65,123Legal Support Services $45,835
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.