About Law Tuition
The cost of a legal education is steep. According to data from the ABA and law school websites, average annual tuition is about $125,100. This number does not include student expenses such as housing, health insurance, books and transportation.
Many students do not pay the “sticker price” of a law school, paying a fraction of the cost through grants and scholarships. These are typically merit-based, determined by a combination of UGPA (undergraduate grade point average) and LSAT or GRE scores. Law schools must report the percentage of students receiving grants and the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile grant amounts on their ABA Standard 509 Information Report, available from each law school website.
If you can’t qualify for scholarships, there are other ways to finance your law degree. Some firms offer tuition reimbursement programs. Some require that you work for a certain amount of time after graduation before you’re eligible to receive full reimbursement, while others may have a tiered system that increases with each year of employment.
Regardless of how you fund your law degree, you must create a financial plan for repayment. Calculate your projected debt and income, then make a plan to manage it. In addition to a financial plan, it’s important to participate in extracurricular activities and join a student organization. This can help you gain experience in your area of interest and develop connections with alumni in your field of practice. The Environmental Law Society, for example, is a great place to find like-minded people with a common passion for environmental activism. Law Tuition