UConn Law Degree ‘Pays Off’

The UConn School of Law is in the top 10 'law schools that pay off,' according to a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report.

Law School Dean Timothy S. Fisher, center, and students on the campus of UConn Law. (Lanny Nagler Photography for UConn)

Law School Dean Timothy S. Fisher, center, and students on the campus of UConn Law. (Lanny Nagler Photography for UConn)

UConn School of Law ranks among the top 10 “law schools that pay off” when student debt is compared to starting salaries, according to a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report.

The average student debt among UConn Law graduates was $70,129 for 2014 graduates, the lowest in the Northeast and the 15th lowest in the nation. Starting salaries for graduates entering the private sector reached $95,000 in 2014. That gives the law school a 1.4-1 salary-to-debt ratio, tied for eighth place nationwide.

Our high value and great employment results are only part of what makes UConn Law School great. — Timothy Fisher

UConn School of Law is the highest ranked public law school in the Northeast. The low student debt level is a product of reasonable tuition, now $27,792 for in-state students, and robust financial aid packages for eligible students.

Meanwhile, employment prospects continue to improve for UConn Law graduates. At 10 months after graduation, more than 80 percent of the graduates from the Class of 2015 had full-time, long-term jobs for which a law degree was required or preferred, up substantially over the last three years.

“Our high value and great employment results are only part of what makes UConn Law School great. Our students and faculty are deeply engaged in the institutions and communities that surround us, as well as the intellectual exploration of a legal education,” Dean Timothy Fisher said. “That, coupled with a supportive atmosphere and energetic student body, make this an exciting place to learn and a transformative chapter in our students’ lives.”

UConn Law, a pioneer in experiential education, supplements a comprehensive catalog of academic courses with clinics, internship opportunities and practical skills courses.

In recent years UConn Law has added several programs that let students realize even more value from their legal educations. Three new LL.M. (master of laws) degrees can be combined with a JD to prepare students for careers in energy and environmental law, human rights and social justice or intellectual property and information governance.

The law school has also added, in partnership with the UConn School of Business, a certificate in Corporate and Regulatory Compliance. And the two schools are now offering a program to earn both a JD and MBA in three years.

UConn Law is located on a 17-acre campus in the West End of Hartford, about 25 miles west of the main campus in Storrs and just three miles from the site of the University’s Downtown Hartford Campus, scheduled to open in 2017.