How Much Debt?

Copyright © 2001 DeLoggio Achievement Program.  All rights reserved.  This notice supersedes our usual copyright notice.  No permission to reproduce this chart is granted unless expressly given in writing by the author.

2005 NOTE:  In the last several years, costs have risen more than starting salaries, so it can take longer to repay debts than reported here.  However, the relative length of time to repay loans is still pertinent -- i.e., it will still take the average graduate longer to repay the debt load at Southern Cal. than it will at UCLA.

2009 Note:   As the country faces an enormous financial crisis, there's just no way to know how you'll pay for your 1L year, let alone the three-year debt load. If you can figure out how to pay for your first year, just remind yourself that there's no way to know how much better or worse the economy will be when you graduate. After all, the 2009 grads started back when they thought they'd graduate into a world of $150k+ jobs!

The commonest cause of heart palpitations among law school applicants (besides opening skinny envelopes) is calculating how much debt they'll carry.  Well, there are two pieces of good news for those of you experiencing such anxiety.  

  • The first is that the amount is often less than you think it'll be.  Additional grant money for your second and third years plus cushy summer jobs (and maybe more help from the family than was originally promised) will reduce the amount you have to borrow.  
  • The second is that you can now get a realistic sense of that debt!  The chart below will help give you an idea of how long it will take you to get out from under that massive debt, given the massive salary that will accompany it.

Unfortunately, there are so many caveats, approximations, and explanations required that it will take you almost as long to read about it as it took me to compile it! If you want to read them, they're right here. For the more impulsive among you, you can go right to the data.

(Schools are in order of USNWR tier and years to repay debt.)

NAME tier avg.
sal		 take
home		 living avail-
able		 avg
debt		 years
BRIGHAM YOUNG 1 75 50 14 18 24 1.3
CAL-UCLA 1 125 84 18 33 49 1.5
GEORGE MASON 1 95 64 18 23 40 1.7
WASHINGTON 1 90 60 19 21 37 1.8
CAL-DAVIS 1 90 60 13 24 43 1.8
GEORGETOWN 1 145 97 18 40 79 2.0
TEXAS 1 89 60 15 22 45 2.0
UTAH 1 75 50 14 18 40 2.2
GEORGIA 1 75 50 16 17 38 2.2
HOUSTON 1 78 52 14 19 43 2.2
NORTH CAR. CHAPEL HILL 1 75 50 14 18 41 2.3
IOWA 1 75 50 12 19 43 2.3
VIRGINIA 1 125 84 18 33 75** 2.3
ARIZONA 1 74 50 14 18 40 2.3
CAL-HASTINGS 1 100 67 25 21 48 2.3
OHIO STATE 1 80 54 12 21 50 2.4
ILLINOIS 1 90 60 18 21 51 2.4
CINCINNATI 1 70 47 11 18 43 2.4
WILLIAM AND MARY 1 90 60 18 21 54 2.5
WISCONSIN 1 80 54 14 20 50 2.5
MINNESOTA 1 75 50 14 18 46 2.6
CAL-BERKELEY 1 89 60 22 19 48 2.6
CONNECTICUT 1 72 48 15 17 45 2.7
FORDHAM 1 110 74 21 26 71 2.7
MARYLAND 1 83 56 16 20 55 2.7
NOTRE DAME 1 90 60 17 22 61 2.8
VANDERBILT 1 90 60 17 22 62 2.9
BOSTON COLLEGE 1 98 66 19 23 67 2.9
CHICAGO 1 100 67 18 25 72 2.9
COLORADO 1 70 47 15 16 47 2.9
YALE 1 100 67 19 24 71 3.0
ALABAMA 1 60 40 11 15 44** 3.0
TENNESSEE 1 54 36 10 13 39 3.0
WASHINGTON U. 1 90 60 12 24 72 3.0
STANFORD 1 100 67 19 24 72 3.0
SOUTHERN METHODIST 1 86 58 15 21 65 3.1
HARVARD 1 100 67 21 23 72 3.1
NORTHWESTERN 1 90 60 19 21 65 3.2
WASHINGTON AND LEE 1 80 54 18 18 58 3.2
PENN 1 103 69 20 25 79 3.2
BOSTON UNIVERSITY 1 95 64 19 22 72 3.2
GEORGE WASHINGTON 1 95 64 18 23 75 3.3
KENTUCKY 1 60 40 11 15 48 3.3
SOUTHERN CAL. 1 95 64 19 22 73 3.3
CORNELL 1 102 68 20 24 80** 3.3
MICHIGAN 1 100 67 19 24 80** 3.3
COLUMBIA 1 106* 71 21 25 84 3.4
FLORIDA 1 57 38 12 13 45 3.4
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 1 106 71 21 25 86 3.4
INDIANA-BLOOMINGTON 1 76 51 15 18 62 3.5
DUKE 1 96 64 18 23 80 3.5
EMORY 1 80 54 17 19 67 3.6
WAKE FOREST 1 75 50 14 18 77 4.2
TULANE 1 85 57 16 20 87 4.3
PITTSBURGH 2 112 75 13 31 56 1.8
GEORGIA STATE 2 80 54 16 19 37 1.9
RUTGERS-NEWARK 2 100 67 18 24 51** 2.1
AMERICAN 2 93 62 18 22 48 2.1
ARIZONA STATE 2 70 47 14 16 38 2.3
CASE WESTERN RESERVE 2 85 57 14 22 52 2.4
RUTGERS-CAMDEN 2 85 57 15 21 51 2.5
BROOKLYN 2 108 72 19 27 66 2.5
SAINT JOHN'S 2 96 64 18 23 58 2.5
NEBRASKA 2 58 39 12 13 34 2.6
BAYLOR 2 75 50 15 18 46 2.6
OKLAHOMA 2 60 40 10 15 39** 2.6
TEMPLE 2 85 57 15 21 55 2.6
KANSAS 2 72 48 11 18 50 2.7
ARKANSAS-FAYETTEVILLE 2 55 37 11 13 36 2.8
BUFFALO-SUNY 2 60 40 13 14 38 2.8
SOUTH CAROLINA 2 60 40 12 14 42 2.9
SAN DIEGO 2 90 60 17 22 65 3.0
CARDOZO 2 101 68 21 23 70 3.0
LOYOLA-CHICAGO 2 95 64 18 23 70 3.1
OREGON 2 65 44 13 15 48 3.2
INDIANA-INDIANAPOLIS 2 65 44 12 16 54 3.4
MISSISSIPPI 2 54 36 11 13 44 3.5
CATHOLIC 2 90 60 18 21 75 3.5
CHICAGO-KENT 2 85 57 18 19 70** 3.6
LOUISVILLE 2 60 40 11 15 53 3.6
HAWAII 2 60 40 18 11 41 3.8
VILLANOVA 2 78 52 15 18 73 4.0
MIAMI 2 70 47 12 17 71 4.1
SETON HALL 2 74 50 18 16 66 4.2
LEWIS AND CLARK 2 65 44 13 15 64 4.3
RICHMOND 2 65 44 15 14 62 4.3
FLORIDA STATE 2 60 40 13 14 60 4.4
NEW MEXICO 2 45 30 12 9 39** 4.4
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY 3 62 42 11 15 18 1.2
MEMPHIS 3 90 60 11 24 37** 1.5
DENVER 3 62 42 15 13 21 1.6
SAINT LOUIS 3 74 50 11 19 32 1.6
WAYNE STATE 3 70 47 13 17 40 2.4
HOFSTRA 3 103 69 21 24 66** 2.7
NORTHEASTERN 3 90 60 19 20 60 2.9
SOUTHWESTERN 3 85 57 17 20 61 3.0
DEPAUL 3 85 57 18 19 60 3.1
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3 42 28 11 9 27 3.1
PENN STATE 3 70 47 12 17 55 3.2
ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK 3 50 34 11 11 36** 3.2
TOLEDO 3 56 38 11 13 43 3.3
CLEVELAND STATE 3 60 40 14 13 44 3.3
LOUISIANA STATE 3 54 36 11 13 43 3.4
WEST VIRGINIA 3 50 34 11 11 39 3.4
LOYOLA-L.A. 3 90 60 19 21 71 3.5
SYRACUSE 3 80 54 13 20 70** 3.5
WILLIAM MITCHELL 3 70 47 14 16 57 3.5
SAN FRANCISCO 3 94 63 25 19 70** 3.7
AKRON 3 50 34 12 11 40** 3.7
IDAHO 3 48 32 12 10 38 3.7
PEPPERDINE 3 90* 60 19 21 76 3.7
PACE 3 84 56 19 19 70** 3.8
MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 3 53 36 11 12 49 4.0
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 3 45 30 17 7 27** 4.0
SANTA CLARA 3 87 58 24 17 70 4.1
MARQUETTE 3 67 45 14 16 66 4.2
SUFFOLK 3 75 50 19 15 66 4.3
JOHN MARSHALL 3 73 49 18 15 66 4.3
VALPARAISO 3 60 40 13 14 60 4.3
WILLAMETTE 3 55 37 12 12 59 4.8
CAMPBELL 3 55* 37 10 13 64 4.8
SEATTLE 3 69 46 19 14 66 4.9
MAINE 3 52 35 14 11 54 5.1
NORTH DAKOTA 3 42 28 12 8 43 5.2
ALBANY 3 55 37 13 12 68 5.7
MERCER 3 50 34 11 11 65 5.7
CREIGHTON 3 52 35 12 11 66 5.9
VERMONT 3 60 40 15 13 76 6.0
DRAKE 3 47 31 12 10 59 6.0
LOYOLA-NEW ORLEANS 3 54* 36 12 12 75** 6.2
WYOMING 3 36 24 14 5 32 6.4
MONTANA 3 36 24 11 7 45 6.7
GONZAGA 3 47 31 11 10 69 6.8
STETSON 3 53 36 12 12 81 7.0
SOUTH DAKOTA 3 34 23 13 5 48** 9.4
FLORIDA COASTAL 4 60 40 11 15 16 1.1
TEXAS TECH. 4 105 70 15 28 39 1.4
HOWARD 4 95 64 18 23 45 2.0
WESTERN STATE 4 115 77 18 29 63 2.2
DUQUESNE 4 80 54 11 21 50** 2.3
CHAPMAN 4 70 47 18 14 47 3.3
FRANKLIN PIERCE 4 85 57 15 21 72 3.4
SAINT MARY'S 4 71 48 12 18 61** 3.5
WASHBURN 4 46 31 11 10 35 3.5
NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL 4 83 56 19 18 65 3.5
SOUTH TEXAS 4 70 47 13 17 61 3.6
BALTIMORE 4 60 40 13 13 50 3.7
OKLAHOMA CITY 4 60 40 10 15 58 3.9
DETROIT COLL. - MSU 4 64 43 13 15 60 4.1
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 4 55* 37 18 10 40** 4.1
CAPITAL 4 65 44 12 16 66 4.2
CITY U OF NEW YORK 4 55* 37 19 9 40** 4.5
DETROIT MERCY 4 60 40 13 13 60 4.5
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 4 45* 30 12 9 41** 4.5
MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE 4 50 34 11 11 52 4.6
MCGEORGE 4 62 42 13 14 67 4.7
DAYTON 4 53 36 12 12 57 4.8
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 4 50 34 11 11 56 5.1
OHIO NORTHERN 4 52 35 13 11 57** 5.1
SOUTHERN 4 40* 27 10 8 43** 5.1
THOMAS JEFFERSON 4 60* 40 17 12 63** 5.4
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND 4 57 38 14 12 65** 5.5
NEW ENGLAND 4 63 42 19 11 63 5.5
HAMLINE 4 51 34 14 10 57** 5.7
GOLDEN GATE 4 70 47 25 11 63 5.7
REGENT 4 50 34 12 11 61 5.8
QUINNIPIAC 4 60 40 15 13 75 6.0
SAINT THOMAS 4 60 40 15 13 76 6.0
TEXAS WESLEYAN 4 50 34 15 9 55** 6.1
TEXAS SOUTHERN 4 40* 27 13 7 43** 6.2
CALIFORNIA WESTERN 4 53 36 16 10 66 6.6
TULSA 4 50 34 11 11 76 6.8
WHITTIER 4 60 40 18 11 74 6.8
SAMFORD 4 60 40 19 11 72 6.9
WIDENER (DELAWARE) 4 50 34 15 9 67 7.4
NOVA 4 49 33 15 9 76 8.5
TOURO 4 55 37 21 8 81 10.2
ROGER WILLIAMS 4 42 28 14 7 73 10.4
THOMAS COOLEY 4 41 27 17 5 60 11.2

 

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