7 AFFORDABLE LAW SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA: 2023 GUIDE
Law schools can be expensive for students. But in California, there are some of the best yet most affordable law schools that you can attend. All those candidates who yearn to have a law degree can apply to these law schools and start a new chapter of their lives.
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Here is the list of the most affordable law schools in California.
| NO | COLLEGE | TUITION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE COLLEGE OF LAW | $37,760 |
| 2 | WESTERN STATE COLLEGE OF LAW | $44,580 |
| 3 | UC HASTINGS COLLEGE OF LAW | $46,034 |
| 4 | GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW | $50,750 |
| 5 | UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO LAW SCHOOL | $52,580 |
| 6 | UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF LAW | $56,460 |
| 7 | UC BERKELEY SCHOOL OF LAW | $56,500 |
MOST AFFORDABLE LAW SCHOOLS IN CALIFORNIA
UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE COLLEGE OF LAW
It is a private university that offers Juris Doctor (JD) law degree. It was founded in 1970 and is located in Ontario, California. Although this law school is not accredited by the American Bar Association. But, it is approved by the State Bar of California.
Student-Faculty Ratio
The student-faculty ratio is 13:1. Every year, more than 400 students get to enroll in this law school. But, this law school has a high bar exam pass rate of 73%.
Ranking
Today it is ranked as the 136th Best College for National Universities. In 2021, the employment rate was 70%, while 2% followed up for additional degrees as well.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee for the University of La Verna law school is $37,760. This law school also provides financial support to around 30% of students based on their academic profile.
You can learn more about these support programs on the financial aid section of their website.
WESTERN STATE COLLEGE OF LAW
It is a private law school that is located in Irvine, California, since 1966. This school is also approved by the American Bar Association. It is also accredited by the California State community for Bar Examiners.
Alumni Network
Its 11,000+ alumni are part of different legal institutes with 150+ California Judges in Orange country.
Acceptance Rate
Around 700 students applied for law school, but only 330 were able to get in for their degree. So, the acceptance rate is around 32%. On average, the bar pass rate is 58%, but the employment rate is 82%. The facility ratio is 6.6:1.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee is around $44,580. All students are considered for scholarships once they got admitted. However, funds are limited, so early admissions have some priority over other candidates.
You can learn more about financial aid on their website.
UC HASTINGS COLLEGE OF LAW
UC Hastings College of Law is a public law school that is located in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1878. UC Hasting is the original law department of the University of California system. It is ranked 51st position as the best law school.
Programs Offered
Since 1939, this law school is accredited by the American Bar Association. It offers three years of degree programs in various areas. Some of these areas include; social justice lawyering, intellectual property law, and health sciences.
Student-Faculty Ratio
There are around 900 students, and the student-faculty ratio is 9.1:1.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The UC Hastings tuition fee is $46,034. UC Hastings offers merit-based and need-based scholarships to these students. All students are considered for these scholarships.
Around 80% receive these scholarships. You can learn more about them on the page.
GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
It is a private yet affordable law school located in downtown San Francisco. It was founded in 1901 and is accredited by American Bar Association. It is ranked between 147-192 for Best Law Schools.
This law school offers the first law degree (J.D.) and Graduate degrees in law (LL. M. and Doctoral S.J.D) as well. Although, the first-time bar passing rate was 35.1% in 2021. This means that it is below average, but this institute offers an inclusive and diverse support environment for its students.
Student-Faculty Ratio
Its student-faculty ratio is 6.3:1.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee is $50,750. There is no special application for these scholarships. Therefore, students are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships.
There are general and special scholarships. You can also learn more about these scholarships on their website’s financial aid page.
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO LAW SCHOOL
This is a private law school that was established in 1912. It also is accredited by American Bar Association and joined the Association of American Law Schools as well. It is located on Fulton street, San Francisco.
Ranking & Recognition
This university is ranked between 147-192 in Best Law Schools. Students of USF are widely recognized by law firms and legal employers. This university ensures that the students are equipped with legal professional skills.
Programs Offered
It offers JD, LLM, and Graduate Tax programs to its student. The bar exam pass rate is also 81%. Every year, more than 140 students enroll in this law school and have 6 J.D. certificate programs.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee is $52,580. The USF offers various scholarships to its student. This includes; merit scholarships, conditional scholarships, need-based scholarships, and external scholarships.
You can get more details on their website page.
UC DAVIS SCHOOL OF LAW
This is a public law school founded in 1965 and located in Davis. It is also known as King Hall and Davis Law. This university is approved by American Bar Association and ranks at 37th position in Best Law School.
Acceptance Rate & Student-Faculty Ratio
More than 600 students got enrolled in this institute annually. But, the acceptance rate is 34.6%, so it is difficult to get admission there. This law school has the smallest student body compared to other UC law schools, with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio.
Employment Rate
It provides quality education for foreign judges, lawyers, and legal professionals. Moreover, it has a bar exam pass rate of around 90% with 85% employment.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee is $56,460. UC Davis is famous for providing scholarships. All scholarships range from $100 to $14,000 per academic year. More than $4 million in scholarships help students with different backgrounds fund their studies.
You can get more detailed information on their financial aid page.
UC BERKELEY SCHOOL OF LAW
It is a public research university located in Berkeley. It was founded in 1894 and accredited by American Bar Association. Under the Best Law School list, it secures 9th position. It is the nation’s premium school that ranks consistently among the top law schools.
Student-Faculty Ratio
Typically, there are 850 students in the school with a student-faculty ratio of 6.5:1. This law school is hard to get into, with an acceptance rate of 20.2%. But, students of UC Berkeley focus on both academics and other curriculums.
Programs & Employment Rate
There are specialized programs such as Energy, clean technology, etc. The bar exam pass rate is around 95%, with an employment rate of 98%.
Tuition Fee And Scholarship
The tuition fee is $56,500. There are different scholarships available for students for which all applications are considered.
Different support programs include; Student gift aid, student scholarships, citizenship scholarships, and private aid. You can explore it in detail here.
CONCLUSION
These are some of the most affordable law schools in California that you can explore. It is important to consider early admissions because they have a tremendous impact on your scholarships. The funds are limited, so you should also have other routes in case you can not get scholarships.
Budget Plan
If you are an in-state student, then plan a budget of around $70,000. But if you are an out-of-state student, then your budget should be around $90,000. Many schools offer part-time/online law degrees as well. So, you can explore that option as well before getting admission.
