Non-Professional Legal Studies: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 43 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$79,247 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
14.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−30%Modeled 10-year ROI
$63,487Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$63,487Median reported earnings · year 4
$65,475Average reported earnings · year 5
$26,030Median federal debt
51thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
43Reporting programs
39With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $97,028
- Federal debt
- $17,384
- Reporting programs
- 2
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $42,159
- Federal debt
- $27,487
- Reporting programs
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $63,487
- Federal debt
- $26,030
- Reporting programs
- 43
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $80,044
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 5
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$54,899National median$63,48775th percentile$70,429
39 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Bentley University$148,0872University of Miami$99,8363Quinnipiac University$74,8354University of the District of Columbia$74,1585American University$72,7926Michigan State University$72,4147University of Washington-Seattle Campus$71,0428University of Washington-Tacoma Campus$71,0429University of Maryland Global Campus$70,84510University of California, Berkeley$70,636Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
NO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 2 crosswalk linksLegal Support Workers, All OtherSOC 23-2099 · 1 crosswalk linksParalegals and Legal AssistantsSOC 23-2011 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bentley UniversityBachelor's Degree | Waltham, MA | $148,087 | $27,000 | +211% | Strong payoff |
| 2 | University of MiamiBachelor's Degree | Coral Gables, FL | $99,836 | $15,500 | +67% | Positive payoff |
| 3 | Quinnipiac UniversityBachelor's Degree | Hamden, CT | $74,835 | $27,000 | -13% | Negative payoff |
| 4 | University of the District of ColumbiaBachelor's Degree | Washington, DC | $74,158 | $40,750 | +31% | Positive payoff |
| 5 | American UniversityBachelor's Degree | Washington, DC | $72,792 | $24,375 | -20% | Negative payoff |
| 6 | Michigan State UniversityBachelor's Degree | East Lansing, MI | $72,414 | $24,753 | +6% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | University of Washington-Seattle CampusBachelor's Degree | Seattle, WA | $71,042 | $17,383 | +10% | Positive payoff |
| 8 | University of Washington-Tacoma CampusBachelor's Degree | Tacoma, WA | $71,042 | $17,383 | +18% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | University of Maryland Global CampusBachelor's Degree | Adelphi, MD | $70,845 | $31,017 | -4% | Negative payoff |
| 10 | University of California, BerkeleyBachelor's Degree | Berkeley, CA | $70,636 | $13,723 | +10% | Positive payoff |
| 11 | Ohio State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Columbus, OH | $70,429 | $22,938 | +2% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | Suffolk UniversityBachelor's Degree | Boston, MA | $70,274 | $27,000 | -15% | Negative payoff |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonBachelor's Degree | Madison, WI | $70,123 | $20,980 | +1% | Positive payoff |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts-AmherstBachelor's Degree | Amherst, MA | $69,269 | $23,000 | -10% | Negative payoff |
| 15 | University of La VerneBachelor's Degree | La Verne, CA | $66,373 | $30,370 | -18% | Negative payoff |
| 16 | University of California, Santa CruzBachelor's Degree | Santa Cruz, CA | $66,244 | $18,416 | -16% | Negative payoff |
| 17 | Hamline UniversityBachelor's Degree | Saint Paul, MN | $65,460 | $23,250 | -22% | Negative payoff |
| 18 | St. John's University-New YorkBachelor's Degree | Queens, NY | $65,316 | $26,030 | -32% | Negative payoff |
| 19 | University of DenverBachelor's Degree | Denver, CO | $63,727 | $21,142 | -42% | Negative payoff |
| 20 | Siena UniversityBachelor's Degree | Loudonville, NY | $63,487 | $27,000 | -41% | Negative payoff |
| 21 | American Public University SystemBachelor's Degree | Charles Town, WV | $61,532 | $41,008 | -24% | Negative payoff |
| 22 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $61,356 | $24,386 | -32% | Negative payoff |
| 23 | Arizona State University Digital ImmersionBachelor's Degree | Scottsdale, AZ | $61,356 | $24,386 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | Not available |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | University Park, PA | $60,745 | $37,500 | -49% | Negative payoff |
| 25 | Pennsylvania State University-World CampusBachelor's Degree | University Park, PA | $60,745 | $37,500 | -39% | Negative payoff |
| 26 | University of New HavenBachelor's Degree | West Haven, CT | $60,438 | Not available | -51% | Negative payoff |
| 27 | University of Central FloridaBachelor's Degree | Orlando, FL | $59,715 | $21,422 | -34% | Negative payoff |
| 28 | Central Michigan UniversityBachelor's Degree | Mount Pleasant, MI | $57,108 | Not available | -52% | Negative payoff |
| 29 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeBachelor's Degree | New York, NY | $57,073 | $9,500 | -37% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | St. John Fisher UniversityBachelor's Degree | Rochester, NY | $54,899 | Not available | -67% | Negative payoff |
| 31 | Bellevue UniversityBachelor's Degree | Bellevue, NE | $54,320 | $37,250 | -63% | Negative payoff |
| 32 | Keiser University-Ft LauderdaleBachelor's Degree | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $53,101 | $53,949 | -73% | Negative payoff |
| 33 | Post UniversityBachelor's Degree | Waterbury, CT | $51,731 | $51,000 | -75% | Negative payoff |
| 34 | Mercy UniversityBachelor's Degree | Dobbs Ferry, NY | $51,161 | $29,250 | -74% | Negative payoff |
| 35 | Bay Path UniversityBachelor's Degree | Longmeadow, MA | $48,575 | $27,491 | -85% | Negative payoff |
| 36 | Oakland UniversityBachelor's Degree | Rochester Hills, MI | $48,323 | Not available | -85% | Negative payoff |
| 37 | Crestpoint UniversityBachelor's Degree | Phoenix, AZ | $46,114 | $53,118 | -95% | Negative payoff |
| 38 | Purdue University GlobalBachelor's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $43,441 | $57,500 | -107% | Negative payoff |
| 39 | Morehead State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Morehead, KY | $40,990 | $26,230 | -118% | Negative payoff |
| 40 | University of MississippiBachelor's Degree | University, MS | Not available | $25,750 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $13,314 |
| 41 | Lipscomb UniversityBachelor's Degree | Nashville, TN | Not available | $24,500 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $24,739 |
| 42 | The University of Texas at San AntonioBachelor's Degree | San Antonio, TX | Not available | $21,500 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $10,836 |
| 43 | Liberty UniversityBachelor's Degree | Lynchburg, VA | Not available | $26,656 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $29,357 |
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.