10 Law Schools That Pay Off

Law Schools Where Grads Can Afford Student Loan Bills

A law degree can lead to a lucrative career with a high-paying salary at a big law firm. But only about 21 percent of 2014 law grads work at a large law firm with more than 500 employees, according to a 2015 study by the National Association for Law Placement. One way to evaluate a law school's future return is to look at the salary-to-debt ratio of recent grads.

Here are the 10 best law schools where full-time 2014 grads who borrowed for law school and entered the private sector had the highest salary-to-debt ratio, according to data submitted to U.S. News by 172 schools in an annual survey.

10. University of California--Los Angeles

U.S. News law school rank: 17

Starting median private salary (2014): $160,000

Average debt (2014): $121,066

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.3-to-1

Learn more about UCLA Law.

9. Boston University

U.S. News law school rank: 20 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $145,000

Average debt (2014): $107,850

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.3-to-1

Learn more about the School of Law at Boston University.

8. University of Connecticut

U.S. News law school rank: 65 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $95,000

Average debt (2014): $70,139

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.4-to-1

Learn more about the University of Connecticut School of Law.

7. Yale University (CT)

U.S. News law school rank: 1

Starting median private salary (2014): $160,000

Average debt (2014): $117,093

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.4-to-1

Learn more about Yale Law School.

6. University of Hawaii--Manoa (Richardson)

U.S. News law school rank: 92 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $77,500

Average debt (2014): $56,266

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.4-to-1

Learn more about the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii--Manoa.

5. University of Wisconsin--Madison

U.S. News law school rank: 33 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $115,000

Average debt (2014): $79,373

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.4-to-1

Learn more about the Law School at University of Wisconsin--Madison.

4. Brigham Young University (Clark) (UT)

U.S. News law school rank: 38 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $79,813

Average debt (2014): $54,203

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.5-to-1

Learn more about the Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.

3. Boston College

U.S. News law school rank: 30 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $145,000

Average debt (2014): $97,006

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.5-to-1

Learn more about Boston College Law School.

2. University of Alabama

U.S. News law school rank: 28 (tie)

Starting median private salary (2014): $105,000

Average debt (2014): $69,440

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.5-to-1

Learn more about the University of Alabama School of Law.

1. University of Texas--Austin

U.S. News law school rank: 15

Starting median private salary (2014): $160,000

Average debt (2014): $100,868

Salary-to-debt ratio: 1.6-to-1

Learn more about the University of Texas--Austin School of Law.

More on Choosing a Law School

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Farran Powell is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at fpowell@usnews.com.