Columbia tops list of law schools that cost more than $100K per year
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The cost of attending Columbia Law School in New York City has hit a new high, as students can expect to pay $110,450 for the current academic year.
The estimate, which tops that of any other law school, includes its $75,572 tuition, living expenses and other university fees, according to a report from Reuters. The next highest are the New York University School of Law, with an annual cost of $109,290; and Harvard Law School, which costs $107,000.
The University of Chicago Law School has an annual cost of about $106,000, and the Georgetown University Law Center follows at $103,400 per year. Reuters also reported that Harvard and Stanford Law School tied.
Derek Muller, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, shared the law school estimates on Twitter on Aug. 10 and later told Reuters that rising law school expenses are related to rising associate salaries at large law firms that recruit from top schools.
Milbank announced in January that it would increase associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000, depending on class year. That put its salary range at $215,000 to $385,000. Several other law firms, including Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper and McDermott Will & Emery, reportedly followed.
According to Reuters, which cites ABA data, Columbia sent the highest percentage of 2021 graduates into full-time legal jobs. Nearly 65% secured jobs at large law firms.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Pay for 2021 law grads is at all-time high as percentage of BigLaw jobs increases, NALP says”
ABAJournal.com: “New ABA data shows increase in jobs for recent law grads”
Updated on Aug. 19 to change the headline based on reader feedback.
