Law at Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY · First Professional Degree · about 427 graduates a year

$220,843
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$308,943
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$107,773
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#1 of 174
Rank by pay
#2 of 174
Rank, wage-adjusted
$198,924
Median federal debt

Columbia University in the City of New York graduates in law earn 187% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 64% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Columbia University in the City of New York Compares for Law

All 174 colleges reporting law earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY$308,943$294,050#2$220,843
2University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$302,120$307,259#1$210,273
3Harvard University Cambridge, MA$291,490$256,687#6$175,880
4Northwestern University Evanston, IL$291,132$286,035#3$210,979
5University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA$284,309$258,889#5$204,216
6University of Chicago Chicago, IL$279,203$274,315#4$199,603
7Stanford University Stanford, CA$259,944$236,532#9$162,001
8New York University New York, NY$255,401$243,089#7—
9Fordham University Bronx, NY$232,595$221,382#10$170,942
10University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$226,996$206,551#12$196,724

Other Majors at Columbia University in the City of New York by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Dentistry$182,326$77,654#23 of 58
Medicine$106,442$78,891#75 of 143
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$92,870$80,473#5 of 63

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Columbia University in the City of New York law graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $220,843 one year after graduating and $308,943 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Columbia University in the City of New York rank for law?

Among 174 colleges reporting earnings for law graduates, Columbia University in the City of New York ranks #1 by median pay four years after graduation, and #2 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is law at Columbia University in the City of New York worth it?

Its graduates earn 187% more than the national median for law ($107,773), and the median federal debt at graduation is $198,924.

← All data for Columbia University in the City of New York · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.