Many or all companies we feature compensate us. Compensation and editorial research influence how products appear on a page. Student Loans Average Law School Debt Updated Jun 21, 2024 5-min read Expert Approved Expert Approved This article has been reviewed by a Certified Financial Planner™ for accuracy. Written by Sarah Sheehan, MAT Written by Sarah Sheehan, MAT Expertise: Tax planning, retirement planning, debt management Sarah Sheehan is a writer, educator, and analyst who focuses on the impact of health, gender, and geography on financial equity. Her ultimate goal? To live beyond the confines of chasing the next dollar—and to teach everyone else how to do the same. Learn more about Sarah Sheehan, MAT Reviewed by Erin Kinkade, CFP® Reviewed by Erin Kinkade, CFP® Expertise: Insurance planning, education planning, retirement planning, investment planning, military benefits, behavioral finance Erin Kinkade, CFP®, ChFC®, works as a financial planner at AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust. Erin prepares comprehensive financial plans for military veterans and their families. Learn more about Erin Kinkade, CFP® Law school isn’t known for being cheap, but it’s often worth it. Pursuing a legal career can be personally and financially rewarding. Still, you’re wise to research the costs associated with a law degree before taking the plunge. Keep reading for up-to-date statistics about law school’s true cost. We’ll even walk you through how to manage your law school debt after you graduate. Table of Contents Skip to Section Average law school debtWays to reduce your law school debtIs law school worth the debt? Average law school debt During the 2022 – 2023 school year, the average per-semester tuition for full-time, in-state law students was $37,994, as reported to the American Bar Association. Adding that up over six semesters (without knowing how much tuition will change in those three years), that’s $113,982 for law school tuition alone. Combine it with the average undergraduate tuition of about $91,717 for four years, and that’s over $200,000 in education costs to earn your law degree—not including your cost of living while attending school. Average debt after law school According to Education Data, law school grads owe an average of $160,000 in student loan debt, and they borrow an average of almost $120,000 just to attend law school. Ninety percent of students borrowed student loans to fund their law degree and prior education. Our expert’s take on high debt levels for law school Erin Kinkade CFP® Not only are law school students potentially taking on debt for their undergraduate degree (if they are not fortunate enough to be one of the few that have their undergrad paid for), but the cost of law school itself can be quite high. In addition, spending behaviors can affect student loan debt: For example, some students may choose to finance a vehicle or wardrobe above their means in anticipation of gaining employment with a firm that pays well, which is a rare case when starting out. This is, of course, not true for all who pursue a law degree but could be a contributor to taking on more debt than is manageable. Which school you attend has a dramatic effect on your costs. Law School Transparency’s trends report for the 2023 – 2024 school year shows how tuition varies at 195 law schools nationwide. The following table shows the five most expensive law schools in the U.S. Top 5 most expensiveTuitionColumbia University$81,292New York University$80,014University of Southern California$78,046University of Chicago$77,952Cornell University$77,593 Now, compare the above tuition rates to those at the eight most affordable U.S. law schools: Top 8 most affordableTuitionUniversity of Puerto Rico$9,750Inter American University$15,635Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico$16,608Southern Illinois University$21,555Northern Illinois University$23,553University of Memphis$25,262University of the District of Columbia$25,873City University of New York$26,203 Tip Law schools in Puerto Rico boast the most affordable tuition. Classes may be taught in Spanish or English and are held to the same rigorous standards as schools on the mainland, making law study in Puerto Rico well worth considering. You’ll also want to take opportunity costs into consideration. If you went to work after earning your bachelor’s degree, you’d earn three years of wages you may not earn while in law school. NCES reports the median full-time income for young adults with a bachelor’s degree is $61,600 (with an unemployment rate of just 2.2%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Add that $184,800 of potentially missed wages to your cost of law school if you don’t work while you study. How long does it take to pay off law school debt? Education Data states that the average lawyer working in the public sector has difficulty paying off federal student loans according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s guidelines. The bureau recommends that a maximum of 36% of income go toward paying off debt. The average lawyer working in the public sector will take 26 years to pay off their loans if they use 20% of their income. Following CFPB guidelines, it will take a lawyer working in the private sector 50 years to pay off their loans. Ways to reduce your law school debt The cost of law school might be high, but you can reduce how much you borrow and the cost of your loans. Here are a few ways to limit your law school debt before and after you attend school: Apply for scholarships and grants. We maintain a database of scholarships, as does the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).Prioritize federal loans. Federal student loans offer unique borrower protections and repayment benefits. You may even get a lower interest rate with federal loans than you would with private loans.Find a part-time job or paid legal internship. Working part-time during college can help you borrow less. If you work for a practicing attorney or in a business’s legal department, you’ll benefit from gaining practical experience in your field.Compare private lenders. If you need private loans, prequalify with four or five lenders before applying. Evaluate each lender’s rates, terms, fees, and benefits to find the lowest-cost option and best all-around fit. We recommend starting with lenders that offer loans for law school. These loans are designed for law students; some cover full tuition, while others help you pay for the bar exam. Do your research before committing to a law school: If you enjoy the area where you live and pursue summer internships or a part-time job with a local firm, you may have more options. Erin Kinkade CFP® Read More Student loan debt statistics Is law school worth the debt? The silver lining to the high cost of earning a legal degree is the potential for lucrative employment. The median first-year base salary for lawyers in the private sector was $200,000 at the start of 2023, according to a survey by the National Association for Law Placement. Public service earns you much less, with entry-level public and nonprofit lawyers earning from $64,200 to $69,499. However, these professions could help you qualify for repayment assistance and student loan forgiveness to ease your debt burden. On average, law school graduates owe $160,000 in student loans, per the Education Data Initiative. According to our student loan payment calculator, that would mean total monthly student loan payments of $1,841 for 10 years. What if you struggle to make your law school student loan payments? If your income doesn’t allow you to make these payments, you can enroll in an income-driven repayment plan to reduce the monthly cost of your federal student loans. Refinancing to a lower interest rate for private loans can help you save on interest costs and possibly even reduce your monthly payment. If you’d like to learn more, check out our guide to the best places to refinance student loans. Ready to find law school loans to help pay for college? Check out our guide to compare our top picks!