6 Things To Know When Applying To Law School

Cheapest Law Schools That Rank In The Top 100

Law school is an expensive investment. Applicants often must balance cost and quality of legal education when determining which law school they will attend.
Law.com recently released a list of the cheapest law schools that still rank in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report rankings.
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Public versus private
The average price of tuition you can expect to pay at these 20 schools is $34,885.
According to data published by US News, the average cost for a private law school is $46,164 per year. For public in-state, it’s $26,264. Public out-of-state is $39,612.

If you’re considering attending a top 10 law school, expect to pay top dollar. US News reports that the average cost of tuition and fees among top 10 law schools is $60,293 per year.
Industry payoff: public versus private
Class of 2015 law grads saw a median private sector salary of $68,300, according to U.S. News data. Median public sector salary was $52,000.
“Although there is a wide gap between starting salaries earned by recent law graduates who work in the public sector versus those who work in the private sector, experts say that public sector law jobs offer unique benefits, such as the potential for student loan forgiveness, opportunities to become involved in politics and the job satisfaction that comes from public service,” Ilana Kowarski, a reporter at U.S. News, says.
On the other hand, financial payoff in the private sector can be greater. Large corporate firms, according to Kowarski, boast a $160,000 starting salary.
Tradeoff between a public education versus a private education varies for each applicant. When it comes down to it, law school applicants should consider cost as well as quality of education when deciding on a law school.
Click here to see the number one law school for real jobs, good pay, and low debt.
Sources: Law.com, US News
 

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