How much do Law first professional degree graduates from American University earn?

The reported median is $109,523 four years after completion.

How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

Federal debt is not reported for this cohort.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 2% above the national median for the same field and degree level.

← Program directory

COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Law first professional degree at American University

Washington, DC · Private nonprofit

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are close to similar programs.

$1,750 above the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff: $116,308 / year
Modeled 10-year payoff: Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data: College-wide context only

OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

+52%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$73,725 → $112,063

593Earn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

144Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

619Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median

Not availableBorrowers representedCohort behind the debt median

Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential

Not availableRecent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential

NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

915Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

288Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

780Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

643Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion

Preliminary federal earnings benchmarkNot availableInformational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$109,523A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Additional borrowing reported for this category: Parent PLUS not reported · 582 Grad PLUS borrowers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

LICENSURE AND EMPLOYMENT QUALITY

What happens after a professional law degree?

National ABA outcomes add context that earnings alone cannot provide. These are national J.D. benchmarks, not this law school’s individual result.

92.0%Employed about ten months after graduationClass of 2025 · 33,294 of 36,206

90.7%Bar admission required or anticipatedClass of 2025 employed graduates · 30,190 of 33,294

89.9%Long-term, full-time, bar-required workClass of 2025 employed graduates · 29,928 of 33,294

92.3%Admission within two years2023 law graduates

84.2%First-time bar admission2025 first-time takers

Source: American Bar Association. Denominators differ by measure and are stated above. National outcomes do not replace school-level bar admission or employment disclosures.

THIS LAW SCHOOL · ABA 2025

Price, employment and first-year attrition

These are American University’s school-level J.D. disclosures, not a national estimate. Tuition is the published annual charge plus required annual fees before grants.

$69,172Annual tuition and feesResident rate where applicable

86.2%Employed about 10 months later344 of 399 graduates

82.0%Full-time, long-term legal workBar-required or J.D.-advantage positions

0.0%First-year academic attritionReported as percentage points by the ABA

Living-cost budget$33,832Off campus

Tuition guaranteeNot reportedDoes not describe scholarships or individual aid.

Source: ABA Required Disclosures, reporting year 2025. These figures remain separate from College Scorecard earnings, debt and DegreeVerdict ROI.

GRADUATE-DEGREE BASELINE

$109,523 vs. $142,745

$33,222 below the national bachelor’s median in the same field.

Comparison basis1 bachelor’s program records

This is a cross-cohort benchmark, not the salary increase caused by earning this graduate credential. Your current earnings remain the correct baseline for personal ROI.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$41,943

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWINGNot available

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$109,523

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENTNot available

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

Enter my price →

AVERAGE NET PRICE$41,943Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$76,058Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE62.0%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE75.5%Institution-wide completion rate

WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$73,725Year 1

$109,523Year 4

$112,063Year 5

CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

Repayment pressure is not available

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$9,127

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$109,523 vs. $107,773

$1,750 above the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median

WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.

Lawyers$195,190 median wageDC estimate · 33,070 jobs · 23-1011$172,060–$360,310 middle 50% of DC wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 28,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeAdministrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$181,060 median wageDC estimate · 300 jobs · 23-1021$137,560–$207,480 middle 50% of DC wages+0.0% projected U.S. growth · 500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeJudges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$153,990 median wageU.S. estimate · 24,030 jobs · 23-1023+2.8% projected U.S. growth · 800 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeLaw Teachers, Postsecondary$134,090 median wageDC estimate · 670 jobs · 25-1112$98,520–$168,210 middle 50% of DC wages+2.6% projected U.S. growth · 1,800 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeArbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$110,300 median wageDC estimate · 150 jobs · 23-1022$86,440–$126,410 middle 50% of DC wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 300 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeJudicial Law Clerks$64,920 median wageU.S. estimate · 13,290 jobs · 23-1012+2.8% projected U.S. growth · 1,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degree

Possible alternatives