{"id":125277,"date":"2025-07-02T15:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T23:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/02\/the-law-schools-where-starting-salaries-for-graduates-exceed-their-student-debt-2025\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T23:03:16","slug":"the-law-schools-where-starting-salaries-for-graduates-exceed-their-student-debt-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/07\/02\/the-law-schools-where-starting-salaries-for-graduates-exceed-their-student-debt-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Law Schools Where Starting Salaries For Graduates Exceed Their Student Debt (2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s world, the vast majority of students attending law school have been saddled with seemingly insurmountable six-figure debt loads. Many law students are under the mistaken impression that they\u2019ll be able to pay off that debt quickly; after all, they believe their starting salaries after graduation will be in line with the now-standard starting salary of up to $225,000 at Biglaw firms across the country (depending on office location). Unfortunately, these high-salary positions account for only a small percentage of entry-level jobs for recent law school graduates. The vast majority of law school graduates will be left wondering how they\u2019ll ever be able to pay down their debt in a timely fashion, if at all. What\u2019s a prospective law student to do?<\/p>\n<p>Choose the most cost-efficient law school to which you\u2019ve been accepted, preferably one with a high salary-to-debt ratio, and your starting salary may well meet or exceed your student debt burden. There are several law schools whose graduates are very well-compensated after graduation \u2014 in fact, they\u2019re so well-compensated that it makes up for the costs of their education.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. News recently put together a ranking of the 25 schools with the highest salary-debt ratios in the private sector among 2024 graduates. Did your law school or alma mater make the cut? Here are the Top 10.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Southern Methodist University\u2019s Dedman School of Law (TX): 2.92-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $51,451<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Brigham Young University\u2019s J. Reuben Clark Law School (UT): 2.56-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $140,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $54,678<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Alabama School of Law: 2:37-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $63,225<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Florida Levin College of Law: 2.28-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $140,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $61,356<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Wayne State University Law School (MI): 2.22-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $135,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $60,852<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Washington University School of Law (MO): 2:20-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $205,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $93,380<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Illinois College of Law: 2:11-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $71,157<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Boston University School of Law (MA): 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $225,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $108,550<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Georgia State University College of Law: 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $100,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $48,259<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Tennessee-Knoxville Winston College of Law: 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $72,377<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Click\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/best-graduate-schools\/top-law-schools\/slideshows\/law-schools-where-you-can-pay-off-your-debt?onepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>\u00a0to see the full list.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve said it once and we\u2019ll say it again, but before you decide to shell out tens of thousands of loan dollars to attend a law school in the hope of having a high salary after graduating, it\u2019s worth it to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/top-law-schools-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">do all of your research<\/a>\u00a0beforehand.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/best-graduate-schools\/top-law-schools\/slideshows\/law-schools-where-you-can-pay-off-your-debt?onepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">25 Law Schools Where You Can Pay Off Your Debt<\/a> [U.S. News]<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-441281\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg?resize=150%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Staci Zaretsky\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" data-cfsrc=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg\" data-cf title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to <a href=\"mailto:staci@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/stacizaretsky.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/staci-zaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/07\/the-law-schools-where-starting-salaries-for-graduates-exceed-their-student-debt-2025\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Law Schools Where Starting Salaries For Graduates Exceed Their Student Debt (2025)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In today\u2019s world, the vast majority of students attending law school have been saddled with seemingly insurmountable six-figure debt loads. Many law students are under the mistaken impression that they\u2019ll be able to pay off that debt quickly; after all, they believe their starting salaries after graduation will be in line with the now-standard starting salary of up to $225,000 at Biglaw firms across the country (depending on office location). Unfortunately, these high-salary positions account for only a small percentage of entry-level jobs for recent law school graduates. The vast majority of law school graduates will be left wondering how they\u2019ll ever be able to pay down their debt in a timely fashion, if at all. What\u2019s a prospective law student to do?<\/p>\n<p>Choose the most cost-efficient law school to which you\u2019ve been accepted, preferably one with a high salary-to-debt ratio, and your starting salary may well meet or exceed your student debt burden. There are several law schools whose graduates are very well-compensated after graduation \u2014 in fact, they\u2019re so well-compensated that it makes up for the costs of their education.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. News recently put together a ranking of the 25 schools with the highest salary-debt ratios in the private sector among 2024 graduates. Did your law school or alma mater make the cut? Here are the Top 10.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Southern Methodist University\u2019s Dedman School of Law (TX): 2.92-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $51,451<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Brigham Young University\u2019s J. Reuben Clark Law School (UT): 2.56-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $140,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $54,678<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Alabama School of Law: 2:37-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $63,225<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Florida Levin College of Law: 2.28-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $140,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $61,356<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Wayne State University Law School (MI): 2.22-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $135,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $60,852<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Washington University School of Law (MO): 2:20-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $205,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $93,380<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Illinois College of Law: 2:11-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $71,157<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Boston University School of Law (MA): 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $225,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $108,550<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Georgia State University College of Law: 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $100,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $48,259<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>University of Tennessee-Knoxville Winston College of Law: 2:07-to-1<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Starting median private salary (2023): $150,000<\/li>\n<li>Average debt (2024): $72,377<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Click\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/best-graduate-schools\/top-law-schools\/slideshows\/law-schools-where-you-can-pay-off-your-debt?onepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">here<\/a>\u00a0to see the full list.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve said it once and we\u2019ll say it again, but before you decide to shell out tens of thousands of loan dollars to attend a law school in the hope of having a high salary after graduating, it\u2019s worth it to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/top-law-schools-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">do all of your research<\/a>\u00a0beforehand.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/best-graduate-schools\/top-law-schools\/slideshows\/law-schools-where-you-can-pay-off-your-debt?onepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">25 Law Schools Where You Can Pay Off Your Debt<\/a> [U.S. News]<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-441281\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg?resize=150%2C100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Staci Zaretsky\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" data-cfsrc=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Staci-Zaretsky.jpg\" data-cf title=\"\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/author\/staci-zaretsky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Staci Zaretsky<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she\u2019s worked since 2011. She\u2019d love to hear from you, so please feel free to <a href=\"mailto:staci@abovethelaw.com\">email<\/a> her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/stacizaretsky.bsky.social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bluesky<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">X\/Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@stacizaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Threads<\/a>,\u00a0or connect with her on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/staci-zaretsky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2025\/07\/the-law-schools-where-starting-salaries-for-graduates-exceed-their-student-debt-2025\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Law Schools Where Starting Salaries For Graduates Exceed Their Student Debt (2025)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s world, the vast majority of students attending law school have been saddled with seemingly insurmountable six-figure debt loads. Many law students are under the mistaken impression that they\u2019ll be able to pay off that debt quickly; after all, they believe their starting salaries after graduation will be in line with the now-standard starting [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":125224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Staci-Zaretsky-fnhrHB.jpeg?fit=150%2C100&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}