POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a post-baccalaureate certificate in Legal Support Services worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 5 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$48,802 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$48,802Median year-4 earnings
$18,907Average institution net-price context
$24,621Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$48,802Typical earnings four years after completion
$51,318Average earnings five years after completion
$24,621Typical federal student debt
6thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
86Degrees awarded in 2024–25
4College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Legal Support Services
How much do Legal Support Services post-baccalaureate certificate graduates earn?
The national median is $48,802 four years after completion across reportable post-baccalaureate certificate programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $24,621. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Legal Support Services?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $46,846 to $50,276 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Legal Support Services?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $55,899
- Federal debt
- $20,834
- Programs in the comparison
- 54
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $45,714
- Federal debt
- $22,285
- Programs in the comparison
- 121
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $52,444
- Federal debt
- $27,750
- Programs in the comparison
- 35
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,802
- Federal debt
- $24,621
- Programs in the comparison
- 5
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,692
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $76,951
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$46,846National median$48,80275th percentile$50,276
4 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
University of San Diego
$62,873 four years after completionSan Diego, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtMeredith College
$27,176 among completer borrowersRaleigh, NC · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classPurdue University Global
86 reported awards in 2024–25West Lafayette, IN · inspect the full program →Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
5 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 5 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of San Diego$62,8732Meredith College$50,2763Post University$47,3284Purdue University Global$46,8465San Francisco State UniversityNot availableObserved year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners$72,420 median wage12,870 jobs nationwide-0.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$42,130–$130,560 typical wage rangeLegal Support Workers, All Other$72,110 median wage46,760 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$43,800–$179,960 typical wage rangeParalegals and Legal Assistants$62,890 median wage392,880 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 40,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$44,740–$101,500 typical wage rangeInterpreters and Translators$60,170 median wage52,060 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 6,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,070–$103,660 typical wage rangeTitle Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$58,650 median wage48,580 jobs nationwide+2.1% projected growth through 2035 · 5,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,170–$90,830 typical wage rangeLegal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$55,570 median wage156,280 jobs nationwide-5.2% projected growth through 2035 · 18,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$36,500–$91,730 typical wage rangeNO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwide
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.