2026 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in District of Columbia

[Legal Professions](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong legal professions education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 6 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value legal professions schools.
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2026 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in District of Columbia
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the legal professions degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Legal Professions Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of The District Of Columbia the best value for a degree in legal professions in District of Columbia. University Of The District Of Columbia is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Washington. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,662, with out-of-state students paying around $12,514. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $40,750 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $46,071. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Catholic University Of America came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Catholic University Of America is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. In-state tuition and fees average $58,378. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $25,771 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $77,441. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 83% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at George Washington University earned it the #3 place for legal professions. George Washington University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,710. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $22,910. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from George Washington University generally make around $90,257. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 47% of applicants are accepted.
Georgetown University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value legal professions schools. Georgetown University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Students from in state pay about $68,089 in tuition and fees. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $16,483 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $101,439. Set against $16,483 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 13% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #5 makes American University one of the best values for legal professions. American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. In-state tuition and fees average $58,771. Legal Professions graduates carry a median of $24,375 in student loans. Early-career legal professions graduates make about $65,891. Set against $24,375 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 62% of applicants are accepted.
Howard University came in at #6 for value in legal professions this year. Set in the city of Washington, Howard University is a large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $35,810. Typical student debt for legal professions graduates is $25,498. Soon after graduation, legal professions degree recipients from Howard University generally make around $81,173. That is a strong return on a $25,498 median debt. The acceptance rate is 41%.
More Legal Professions Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.