Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at Tulane University of Louisiana

A bachelor's degree in legal studies from a highly selective university like Tulane carries a puzzling cost-benefit equation. Similar programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $39,000—reasonable for many fields, but modest when paired with an estimated $27,000 in debt from a private institution where the sticker price runs considerably higher. For families paying full freight at Tulane (admission rate of just 15%, average SAT of 1443), the actual debt load could be substantially different from this estimate, which is based on national medians for similar private schools.

The 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio appears manageable on paper, but that math assumes your child is among the relatively few who graduate with only the estimated debt amount. Legal studies undergrads often pursue law school, paralegal work, compliance roles, or pivot to other careers entirely—and that $39,000 starting salary becomes a launching point rather than a ceiling only if your child has a clear next move lined up. Without reported outcomes specific to Tulane's program, you're essentially betting on the school's prestige and networks to deliver better results than these peer-program figures suggest.

If law school is the plan, this degree becomes a stepping stone where the debt matters less than LSAT scores and undergraduate performance. If your child plans to work immediately after graduation, probe hard on Tulane's career placement specifically for this major—those outcomes could differ markedly from these national estimates.