Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at University of La Verne

University of La Verne's legal studies graduates earn $59,677 four years out—substantially above the national median of $39,162 and even exceeding UC Berkeley's outcomes for this program. That 94th national percentile ranking is impressive, though the 60th percentile within California suggests this program performs well but isn't the top choice among the state's limited offerings. With 22% earnings growth from year one to year four, graduates see meaningful salary progression early in their careers.

The debt picture looks manageable: $30,370 translates to a 0.62 ratio against first-year earnings, well below the concerning 1.0 threshold. This debt load is higher than California's median for the program ($18,416), but the stronger earnings outcomes compensate. Nearly half the student body receives Pell grants, indicating the school serves economically diverse students who appear to achieve solid financial returns.

The caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means one exceptional or struggling cohort could skew these numbers significantly. Still, if these earnings hold, you're looking at a program that delivers above-average outcomes at a reasonable debt cost. For a student interested in legal studies but not law school, this represents a viable path, though families should verify these results persist across multiple graduating classes before banking on them.