Best Legal Studies Programs in the Northeast (2026)
Updated
Regional list from Best Legal Studies Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 10 Legal Studies programs in the Northeast by the median earnings of Legal Studies graduates four years after completing, highest first. Quinnipiac University leads the list at $74,835, followed by Suffolk University at $70,274 and University of Massachusetts-Amherst at $69,269.
Across the ranked programs, median earnings range from $74,835 to $26,353, with a median of $58,756.
The list includes 3 public and 7 private nonprofit institutions. CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice holds the strongest Azimuth composite rank among the group, placing 37th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The same school also reports the lowest average net price on the page, at $3,203.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quinnipiac University · Hamden, CT | $74,835 | $40,675 | $33,649 | 72.2% |
| Quinnipiac University reports median earnings of $74,835 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing, the highest figure on this list. | |||||
| 2 | Suffolk University · Boston, MA | $70,274 | $29,618 | $24,745 | 82.3% |
| Suffolk University admits 82% of applicants and shows a median of $70,274 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA | $69,269 | $22,383 | $10,164 | 59.7% |
| A public university in Amherst, University of Massachusetts-Amherst carries an average net price of $22,383 and its Legal Studies graduates earn a median of $69,269 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | St. John's University-New York · Queens, NY | $65,316 | $29,999 | $27,787 | 83.4% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $25,000 in federal loans at St. John's University-New York, where Legal Studies completers report median earnings of $65,316 four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | University of New Haven · West Haven, CT | $60,438 | $34,192 | $27,837 | 60.4% |
| University of New Haven ranks 5th on this list, with a median of $60,438 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 60%. | |||||
| 6 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice · New York, NY | $57,073 | $3,203 | $1,073 | 57.1% |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice holds the Azimuth composite rank of 37th among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Legal Studies graduates earn a median of $57,073 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | St. John Fisher University · Rochester, NY | $54,899 | $28,945 | $16,054 | 66.4% |
| St. John Fisher University posts an average net price of $28,945 and median earnings of $54,899 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Mercy University · Dobbs Ferry, NY | $51,161 | $14,072 | $11,974 | 85.8% |
| With a median of $19,637 in federal loans across all of its borrowers who completed, Mercy University reports median earnings of $51,161 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | Bay Path University · Longmeadow, MA | $48,575 | $14,271 | $11,948 | 85.2% |
| Bay Path University admits 85% of applicants, and its Legal Studies graduates earn a median of $48,575 four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | William Paterson University of New Jersey · Wayne, NJ | $26,353 | $18,745 | $16,171 | 90.1% |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey ranks 10th on this list and reports median earnings of $26,353 for its Legal Studies graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $18,745. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Legal Studies graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Northeast appear. The figure is the median earnings of federally aided completers of the Legal Studies program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 1 of the 10 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. Quinnipiac University leads the list at $74,835, with a gap of $4,561 over second-ranked Suffolk University.
Related rankings
- Best Legal Studies Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the Northeast
- Best Legal Studies Programs in the Midwest
- Best Legal Studies Programs in the South
- Legal Studies Colleges in the Northeast for Social Mobility
- Legal Studies Colleges in the Northeast