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2026 Law School Rankings

Class of 2023 Post-Graduate Earnings

What law graduates actually earn 10 months after graduation. Self-reported salary data from 148 ABA-accredited law schools—see the full earnings spectrum from 25th to 75th percentile for private sector and median public sector salaries.

Private sector = law firms & business. Public = government, clerkships, public interest.

148
Law Schools
76% of 196 ABA-accredited schools
School-reported data Class of 2023
Self-reported salaries 10 months post-graduation Full percentile range View Methodology

Understanding Salary Data: Law graduate salaries often follow a "bimodal" pattern—many earn $60k–$90k at small firms while others earn $215k+ at large national firms. The median may not reflect what most graduates earn. Check the 25th–75th range for a clearer picture of earnings distribution.

Displaying 101 - 150 of 206 in total. [Read more.]

Tip: Click any header to sort by that column. Click again for a reverse sort.
Law School Graduate Salaries — sortable data table
No. Law School State Private 25th Private Median Private 75th Public Median
101 DePaul University IL $70,000 $90,000 $114,000 $66,000
102 Florida State University FL $83,000 $90,000 $112,500 $60,000
103 Texas Tech University TX $72,727 $82,424 $111,515 $76,676
104 Chapman University CA $84,000 $100,000 $110,000 $78,000
104 Western State University CA $80,000 $95,000 $110,000 $96,500
104 Marquette University WI $70,000 $80,000 $110,000 $65,500
107 U. at Buffalo NY $75,000 $86,000 $108,000 $67,290
108 U. of Hawaii HI $88,000 $100,000 $107,000 $68,000
109 Loyola U. New Orleans LA $80,000 $95,500 $106,250 $69,100
110 U. of the Pacific (McGeorge) CA $80,000 $95,928 $105,000 $88,000
110 U. of Memphis TN $62,500 $94,000 $105,000 N/A
110 Albany Law School Union U. NY $75,000 $85,000 $105,000 $73,579
110 U. of Nebraska-Lincoln NE $70,000 $85,000 $105,000 $65,000
114 U. of Akron OH $65,000 $75,000 $104,000 $60,000
115 Stetson University FL $77,500 $85,000 $100,000 $65,000
115 U. of Arkansas-Fayetteville AR $75,000 $85,000 $100,000 $63,751
115 Samford U. (Cumberland) AL $72,000 $81,000 $100,000 $60,000
115 Touro College (Fuchsberg) NY $70,000 $81,000 $100,000 $70,000
115 Duquesne University PA $65,000 $80,000 $100,000 $62,500
115 West Virginia U. WV $70,000 $80,000 $100,000 $69,085
121 Mercer University (GA) GA $65,000 $80,000 $99,200 $65,000
122 New England Sch. of Law MA $62,400 $85,000 $98,700 $68,500
123 Ave Maria School of Law FL $80,000 $90,000 $95,000 $68,000
123 Western New England MA $65,500 $80,000 $95,000 $71,500
123 Faulkner University (Jones) AL $60,000 $70,000 $95,000 $56,000
126 Drake University IA $65,563 $77,500 $93,125 $58,656
127 U. of Toledo OH $67,500 $80,000 $92,500 $68,248
128 U. of New Mexico NM $75,000 $80,000 $91,000 $72,276
129 St. Thomas University FL $70,000 $80,000 $90,000 N/A
129 Washburn University KS $70,000 $77,500 $90,000 $67,500
129 Regent University VA $65,000 $76,500 $90,000 $67,500
129 U. of Tulsa OK $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $59,107
129 Charleston School of Law SC $60,000 $70,000 $90,000 $65,000
129 Northern Kentucky U. KY $60,000 $70,000 $90,000 $69,000
129 U. of Arkansas-Little Rock AR $60,000 $70,000 $90,000 $68,000
136 Nova Southeastern U. FL $75,000 $80,000 $89,375 $68,000
137 U. of Wyoming WY $66,000 $75,000 $87,000 $61,000
138 U. of Montana MT $68,250 $80,000 $85,000 $72,000
138 Oklahoma City University OK $60,000 $69,500 $85,000 $67,000
140 Northern Illinois University IL $65,000 $75,000 $84,000 $71,000
141 Lincoln Memorial U. TN $51,000 $65,000 $83,200 $66,200
142 Liberty University VA $66,250 $75,000 $82,000 $61,000
143 Southern Illinois U. IL $58,500 $68,137 $80,750 $62,500
144 U. of South Dakota SD $55,000 $75,000 $80,000 $66,000
144 Widener (Commonwealth) PA $65,000 $73,000 $80,000 $60,500
144 Mississippi College MS $60,000 $65,000 $80,000 $65,000
147 Elon University NC $59,250 $70,000 $78,500 $70,000
148 U. of North Dakota ND $62,000 $68,000 $77,500 $73,250
149 Appalachian School of Law VA N/A N/A N/A N/A
150 Arizona Summit Law School AZ N/A N/A N/A N/A
Tip: Click any header to sort by that column. Click again for a reverse sort.

About Class of 2023 Post-Graduate Earnings

Data Source & Timeline

This data represents self-reported starting salaries for the Class of 2023 measured approximately 10 months after graduation (spring 2024). These figures reflect what graduates were earning at that point—not immediate offers or current salaries.

Understanding the Columns

Column What It Represents
Private 25th / Median / 75th The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile salaries for graduates working in private law firms or business/industry roles. A wide gap (e.g., $85k to $215k) indicates the school places students in two distinct markets.
Public Median The median salary for graduates working in government jobs, judicial clerkships, or non-profit public interest organizations.

Important Context

Bimodal Distribution: For many schools, law graduate salaries follow a "bimodal" pattern. Graduates often cluster into two groups: those earning $60k–$90k (small/regional firms) and those earning $215k+ (large national firms). Very few graduates actually earn the median figure. The 25th–75th percentile range provides a more accurate picture of the earnings distribution.

Data Reliability: Salary figures depend on the percentage of graduates who reported their earnings. Schools with low reporting rates may have less reliable data, potentially skewed toward high earners.

Exclusions: Jobs classified as "JD advantage" (positions where a JD is helpful but bar admission is not required) have been excluded from these figures.

Why "2026 Law School Rankings"?

ILRG designates this analysis as the 2026 Law School Rankings because it is built for applicants planning to start law school in fall 2026. The rankings rely on the ABA's most recent 509 disclosures (released December 2025), which report the fall 2025 entering class, 2024 bar passage, and 2024 employment outcomes.

Source: Data compiled from ABA 509 disclosures and information released publicly by the law schools. Next Release: December 2026.