Advertisement

Survey: Harvard Law grads earn the most of any grad school in the country

A survey from PayScale finds it really does matter where you went to law school.

By Gabrielle Levy
A group of Harvard University graduate students celebrate their graduation during the 2008 Harvard University Commencements Exercises on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 5, 2008. (UPI Photo/Matthew Healey)
A group of Harvard University graduate students celebrate their graduation during the 2008 Harvard University Commencements Exercises on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 5, 2008. (UPI Photo/Matthew Healey) | License Photo

SEATTLE, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- That fancy Ivy League degree really does pay off: A new survey finds Harvard Law grads are making more at the midpoint in their careers than any other graduate school in the U.S.

A survey conducted by the online salary company PayScale examined data from 1.4 million alums from 605 universities found that Harvard Law School alums earn a median mid-career salary of $201,000.

Advertisement

Seven of the top 10 schools for median mid-career salary were law schools, while the other three are business schools.

Alumni from Stanford earned the most of any business school in the survey, at $184,600, at No. 4, while UCLA Law, at No. 5, is the top-ranked public school.

Meanwhile, an examination of majors found that law schools are just the tenth-most lucrative graduate degree, with a median mid-career salary of $139,300, proving that the school at the top of one's diploma deeply matters in the legal field.

And while a master's degree in petroleum engineering tops the list of graduate major salaries, at $187,600, those with just a bachelor's degree in subject earn just $10,300 less at the midpoint in their careers.

Advertisement

"A graduate degree requires a significant investment of time and money, and not all graduate degrees have the salary potential that many people assume they do," said Lydia Frank, the editorial director at PayScale. "The type of degree you earn, your major or emphasis and the school you attend each make a big impact on future earning potential."

The PayScale top 10 graduate schools, by median mid-career salary:

1. Harvard Law School -- $201,000

2. Emory University School of Law -- $200,600

3. Santa Clara University School of Law -- $197,700

4. Stanford University - Graduate School of Business -- $184,600

5. University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) - College of Law -- $182,900

6. Pepperdine University School of Law -- $181,600

7. Harvard Business School -- $181,100

8. Georgetown University Law Center -- $180,800

9. University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School -- $180,300

10. Columbia University Law School -- $177,100

Latest Headlines