Law School Costs
While the average tuition at top performing schools is much higher than the rest, prices do not scale with bar exam outcomes elsewhere. The average tuition at the lowest performing schools is similar to the average for mid-range schools. The following chart reflects the average nominal tuition prices in 2019-2020 for ABA-Approved law schools grouped by bar exam outcomes in 2018. It also reflects the average three-year tuition paid by 2018 graduates.
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| Grouped by 2018 Bar Exam Outcomes1 |
Average Annual TuitionFall 2019 to Spring 2020 | Average Three-Year Tuition TotalFall 2015 to Spring 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Schools | Private Schools | Public Schools | Private Schools | |
| Bar Pass Rate ≥ 85% | $32K29 schools$17,714 - $63,200 | $57K29 schools$26,028 - $72,360 | $89K29 schools$45,402 - $168,600 | $155K29 schools$74,660 - $195,524 |
| Bar Pass Rate 75% - 84.9% | $30K24 schools$14,114 - $53,212 | $50K24 schools$37,700 - $67,192 | $83K24 schools$35,406 - $142,511 | $138K24 schools$102,120 - $181,072 |
| Bar Pass Rate 60% - 74.9% | $25K29 schools$14,770 - $47,486 | $47K32 schools$30,200 - $61,996 | $69K29 schools$34,827 - $141,505 | $129K32 schools$80,980 - $167,620 |
| Bar Pass Rate < 60% | $21K5 schools$7,900 - $45,474 | $44K24 schools$15,510 - $57,836 | $60K5 schools$21,645 - $137,182 | $122K24 schools$48,619 - $158,850 |
The following chart plots the previous chart's underlying data.
About the Data
School-specific tuition and job outcome data come from the American Bar Association. The job outcome groups are based on the legal job rate. The rate's denominator is total graduates and its numerator includes only jobs that are long term (a job with an indefinite duration or fixed duration of 1 year or more), full time (at least 35 hours per week), and bar passage required (job requires a law license). LST chose the breakpoints for the job outcome groups and uses normal averages rather than weighted averages for the group averages.