Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at University of Maryland-College Park

A legal studies bachelor's from UMD-College Park comes with an estimated debt load of $23,000—noticeably lower than what peer programs typically produce (about $26,000 nationally, $31,000 in Maryland). That's the good news. The challenge is that similar programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $39,000, which trails considerably behind Maryland's typical legal studies graduate who earns closer to $54,000. That $15,000 gap matters when you're evaluating whether a prestigious state flagship justifies its cost premium over alternatives.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.59 falls in reasonable territory—you could theoretically pay off the loan in under a year if you lived extremely frugally. But that calculation assumes you'll land near the national average rather than below it. Given UMD's strong academic reputation (average SAT of 1463) and the program's suppressed data suggesting very small graduating classes, this degree may function more as preparation for law school or graduate work than as a standalone credential. If that's the plan, factor in additional debt from advanced degrees before the earnings picture improves.

The practical question: are you comfortable with estimates derived from other schools' outcomes when making a five-figure investment? If your child plans to work immediately after graduation in Maryland's legal field, you'd want stronger evidence that this specific program connects graduates to those higher-paying state opportunities rather than the more modest national baseline.