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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Law first professional degree at Thomas M Cooley Law School

Lansing, MI · 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 below similar programs.

$33,626 below the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings
Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff
Not reached
Modeled 10-year payoff
Enter your actual price
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.

+58%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$45,431 → $71,846
697Earn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
378Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort
834Year-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.

433Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment
126Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers
Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count
363Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count
7.8%Federal-aid non-completion rate2022–23 program cohort · 46 non-completers
884Graduates 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$74,147A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Additional borrowing reported for this category: Parent PLUS not reported · 315 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 Cooley Law School’s school-level J.D. disclosures, not a national estimate. Tuition is the published annual charge plus required annual fees before grants.

Not availableAnnual tuition and feesPublished full-time rate
87.4%Employed about 10 months later125 of 143 graduates
67.1%Full-time, long-term legal workBar-required or J.D.-advantage positions
9.0%First-year academic attritionReported as percentage points by the ABA
Living-cost budget$29,972Off 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

$74,147 vs. $142,745

$68,598 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 CONTEXTNot available

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$74,147

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 PRICENot availableInstitution-wide annual figure
COST OF ATTENDANCENot availableInstitution-wide annual budget
ADMISSION RATENot availableInstitution context
COMPLETION RATENot availableInstitution-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.

$45,431Year 1
$74,147Year 4
$71,846Year 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$6,179
Estimated loan paymentNot available
Not availableborrowers represented where reported
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$74,147 vs. $107,773

$33,626 below 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.
Law Teachers, Postsecondary$141,680 median wageMI estimate · 330 jobs · 25-1112$110,460–$224,610 middle 50% of MI wages+2.6% projected U.S. growth · 1,800 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeLawyers$130,520 median wageMI estimate · 16,620 jobs · 23-1011$100,160–$172,340 middle 50% of MI wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 28,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeAdministrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$127,420 median wageMI estimate · 390 jobs · 23-1021$102,150–$144,660 middle 50% of MI wages+0.0% projected U.S. growth · 500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeArbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$76,270 median wageMI estimate · 190 jobs · 23-1022$66,700–$109,700 middle 50% of MI wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 300 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeJudicial Law Clerks$62,260 median wageMI estimate · 280 jobs · 23-1012$52,190–$80,330 middle 50% of MI wages+2.8% projected U.S. growth · 1,500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeJudges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$51,210 median wageMI estimate · 570 jobs · 23-1023$48,340–$127,310 middle 50% of MI wages+2.8% projected U.S. growth · 800 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degree
Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Ann Arbor, MI

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

$150,244 higher earnings

Earnings
$224,391
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$13,138
View outcomes →
Detroit, MI

Wayne State University

$22,616 higher earnings

Earnings
$96,763
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$12,766
View outcomes →
East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University

$22,195 higher earnings

Earnings
$96,342
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$19,680
View outcomes →
Detroit, MI

University of Detroit Mercy

$18,908 higher earnings

Earnings
$93,055
Debt
Not available
Annual net price
$15,232
View outcomes →
Compare these programs →
DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

834 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

Calculate my payoff →