BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Non-Professional Legal Studies worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 43 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
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.
14.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−30%Estimated return after 10 years
$63,487Observed earnings · year 4
$1,218Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark would need to fall by $19,812 per year to reach it.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$4,870
$8,000Annual price−$27,130
$16,000Annual price−$59,130
$21,000Current college-wide context−$79,130
$24,000Annual price−$91,130
$32,000Annual price−$123,130
$40,000Annual price−$155,130
Outcomes at a glance
$63,487Typical earnings four years after completion
$65,475Average earnings five years after completion
$26,030Typical federal student debt
51thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
39College 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 Non-Professional Legal Studies
How much do Non-Professional Legal Studies bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $63,487 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $26,030. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Non-Professional Legal Studies?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $54,899 to $70,429 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Non-Professional Legal Studies?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 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
- $97,028
- Federal debt
- $17,384
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $42,159
- Federal debt
- $27,487
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $63,487
- Federal debt
- $26,030
- Programs in the comparison
- 43
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $80,044
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 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.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
Bentley University
$148,087 four years after completionWaltham, MA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
$9,500 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Central Florida
257 reported awards in 2024–25Orlando, FL · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$74,835Observed year-4 earnings$57,073
Bentley University$37,930 price · $148,087 earningsUniversity of Miami$37,244 price · $99,836 earningsQuinnipiac University$40,675 price · $74,835 earningsUniversity of the District of Columbia$10,648 price · $74,158 earningsAmerican University$41,943 price · $72,792 earningsMichigan State University$19,680 price · $72,414 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $71,042 earningsUniversity of Washington-Tacoma Campus$10,163 price · $71,042 earningsUniversity of Maryland Global Campus$22,063 price · $70,845 earningsUniversity of California, Berkeley$13,481 price · $70,636 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $70,429 earningsSuffolk University$29,618 price · $70,274 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison$17,354 price · $70,123 earningsUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst$22,383 price · $69,269 earningsUniversity of La Verne$20,161 price · $66,373 earningsUniversity of California, Santa Cruz$17,890 price · $66,244 earningsHamline University$20,744 price · $65,460 earningsSt. John's University-New York$29,999 price · $65,316 earningsUniversity of Denver$36,131 price · $63,727 earningsSiena University$33,733 price · $63,487 earningsAmerican Public University System$9,597 price · $61,532 earningsArizona State University Campus Immersion$14,967 price · $61,356 earningsPennsylvania State University-Main Campus$32,875 price · $60,745 earningsPennsylvania State University-World Campus$19,550 price · $60,745 earningsUniversity of New Haven$34,192 price · $60,438 earningsUniversity of Central Florida$10,411 price · $59,715 earningsCentral Michigan University$17,597 price · $57,108 earningsCUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice$3,203 price · $57,073 earningsSt. John Fisher University$28,945 price · $54,899 earnings
$9,597Annual college-wide average net price$37,930
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
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
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.
NO MATCHUnreported jobs nationwideLegal 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 range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
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.