How much do Law doctoral degree graduates from Duke University earn?

The reported median is $261,230 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 148% above the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Law doctoral degree at Duke University

Durham, NC · 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 notably above similar programs.

$155,712 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: $495,575 / 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.

+28%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$205,891 → $263,874

Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

36Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

290Year-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

230Recent 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.

441Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

141Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

371Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

306Graduates 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$261,230A like-for-like comparison is unavailable

Additional borrowing reported for this category: Parent PLUS not reported · 332 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.

THIS LAW SCHOOL · ABA 2025

Price, employment and first-year attrition

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

$81,829Annual tuition and feesResident rate where applicable

99.6%Employed about 10 months later229 of 230 graduates

98.7%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$26,116Off 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

$261,230 vs. $142,745

$118,485 above 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$29,612

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$261,230

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$29,612Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$87,072Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE5.7%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE96.8%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.

$205,891Year 1

$261,230Year 4

$263,874Year 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$21,769

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$261,230 vs. $105,518

$155,712 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.

Judges, 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 degreeAdministrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$129,960 median wageNC estimate · 260 jobs · 23-1021$79,830–$131,660 middle 50% of NC wages+0.0% projected U.S. growth · 500 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeLawyers$127,710 median wageNC estimate · 17,000 jobs · 23-1011$82,220–$210,130 middle 50% of NC wages+4.7% projected U.S. growth · 28,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeLaw Teachers, Postsecondary$97,090 median wageNC estimate · 450 jobs · 25-1112$80,150–$161,090 middle 50% of NC wages+2.6% projected U.S. growth · 1,800 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreeArbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$75,320 median wageNC estimate · 100 jobs · 23-1022$59,960–$86,760 middle 50% of NC 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

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.

Ithaca, NY

Cornell University

$922 lower annual net price

Earnings: $259,851
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $28,690

View outcomes →

New Haven, CT

Yale University

$5,835 lower annual net price

Earnings: $188,189
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $23,777

View outcomes →

Austin, TX

The University of Texas at Austin

$9,755 lower annual net price

Earnings: $173,114
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $19,857

View outcomes →

Champaign, IL

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

$15,257 lower annual net price

Earnings: $130,428
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $14,355

View outcomes →

Compare these programs →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

290 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 →