If you want to pursue a legal career, but are indecisive due to the cost of law schools, worry no more, because this article is about to give you information about the cheapest law schools in California that you can enroll in without breaking the bank!
It’s common knowledge that popular career paths such as medical schools and law schools are very cost-effective, and as such, only the financially privileged can afford to enroll in such fields of study.
Because of this, a lot of high-flying scholars have given up their dreams of pursuing a career of choice, as they are stuck in the mud of financial burden.
But I want to tell you through this article on the cheapest law schools in California, that there is hope for you to kick start that legal career of your choice, without worrying about the financial burden.
There are other affordable schools, such as the medical schools in New York and other affordable medical schools in the US. Also if you are looking for cheap colleges in North Carolina, to enroll in, you can find them.
For Bible scholars that are international students, there are affordable bible colleges for them too. Business schools are not left out, as there are some affordable business schools in Europe for an MBA Degree.
Now, you can see that there are a lot of options to choose from if you want to pursue your career of choice without any thoughts about the high costs.
Having seen all these, let’s now delve properly into our topic of the cheapest Law schools in California for more emphasis.
Cheapest Law Schools in California
In this section, I will be intimating you the cheapest Law schools that are found in California, which would make it easier for you to enroll and start studying without much cost. In no particular order, they are as follows;
- Golden Gate University
- Chapman University
- University of La Verne College of Law
- Standford University
- University of San Diego School of Law
- The University of California Hastings
- Thomas Jefferson School of Law
- Santa Clara University
- University of San Francisco
- Pepperdine University School of Law
- The University of California Los Angeles
- Southwestern Law School
- The University of California Berkeley School of Law
1. Golden Gate University
This is the first on our list of cheapest law schools in California. For more than 100 years, the nonprofit Golden Gate University (GGU) has been helping adults achieve their professional goals by providing undergraduate and graduate education in Accounting, Law, Taxation, Business, and related areas.
The school is one of California’s oldest private universities, enrolling thousands of students and representing more than 68,000 alumni. The university’s main campus is located in San Francisco with additional teaching sites in Seattle and Silicon Valley. In addition to evening and weekend classes, most courses and degrees are offered entirely online.
Golden Gate University School of Law is an award-winning, ABA-accredited law school located in the heart of San Francisco. GGU Law is boldly transforming the face of legal education by offering full-tuition scholarships to all new students in its full-time, in-person JD program starting in the Fall of 2022. Their innovative legal degree programs include full-time and part-time JD programs, SJD and LLM degrees, as well as two new degree programs: the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law and Master of Law Studies (MLS). Ranked as one of the top law schools for diversity in the US, GGU Law offers a personalized, high-quality learning experience that produces graduates with the training and skillset to become exceptional lawyers and socially conscious members of the global community.
Tuition Fee – $51,000 per year
2. Chapman University
This is the next in line of the cheapest law schools in California. The Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law’s academic programs provide the best of both worlds: foundational accredited legal instruction coupled with a varied selection of certificate programs and joint degrees. Their highly experienced professors provide supportive and personalized education in classes with consistently small faculty/student ratios.
Chapman also provides students with several academic resources that provide real-world legal experience to help maximize their law school education. The Fowler School of Law has three competition boards: Moot Court, Mock Trial, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. In addition, the law school hosts several clinics in which students can develop a variety of legal skills, including the Alona Cortese Elder Law Center, Criminal Prosecution Clinic, Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic, and Tax Law Clinic. Also, law students can gain academic credit while participating in externships.
Tuition Fee – $54,540 per year
3. University of La Verne College of Law
This is the next on the list of cheapest law schools in California. The University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit university located in La Verne, California, United States, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles.
Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, the College of Health and Community Well-Being, and the College of Law, eight regional campuses throughout Southern California, and robust online offerings. Scholastic opportunities abound, thanks to more than 50 undergraduate programs, more than 20 master’s degrees, five doctorates, and six credential programs.
The College of Law teaches the practice of law in an innovative, collaborative environment while preparing students to promote access to legal services and justice in the community. They offer JD Programs and their dual-degree programs let you earn your JD along with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Public Administration (MPA) from La Verne’s College of Business and Public Management.
Tuition Fee – $30,280 per year
4. Standford University
This is the next on the list of cheapest law schools in California. The Leland Stanford Junior University was founded in 1885. Their law school offers JD program, a Joint Degree program, and Advanced Degrees. Their law library is equipped with diverse law books, about different law subjects. There’s also an online library called “SearchWorks” which is Stanford University Libraries’ online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents, and more.
Tuition Fee – $20,725 per year
5. University of San Diego School of Law
This is the next on the list of cheapest law schools in California. With more than 9,000 students from 85 countries and 50 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of the top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s small class sizes, compassionate culture, unique learning opportunities, study-abroad opportunities, and state-of-the-art resources ensure that graduates of their undergraduate and graduate programs succeed after graduation and throughout their lives.
Tuition Fee – $56,711 per year
6. the University of California Hastings
This is the next in line of the cheapest law schools in California. University of California College of the Law, San Francisco was established by statute in 1878 and is governed by a Board of Directors. UC Law SF graduates are legal professionals with a clear sense of the social, economic, business, and cultural contexts in which the law is applied. That sense, along with their passion for both the theory and the practice of the law, makes them unparalleled advocates for their clients, regardless of whether those clients are entrepreneurs or immigrants, inventors or entertainers, the high and mighty, or the average citizen.
Tuition Fee – $55,538 per year
7. Thomas Jefferson School of Law
This is the next on the list of cheapest law schools in California. Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a private, non-profit law school, located in the heart of downtown San Diego, California. The Law School offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree as well as graduate degrees, including the LLM, MSL, and JSD degrees. The School’s curriculum offers emphases in Criminal Law, Intellectual Property, Sports and Entertainment, Taxation, and Financial Services. With flexible programs, students may enroll full or part-time, attend classes in the day or evening, and start in the summer, fall, or spring.
Recognized for its distinguished faculty, the innovative and personalized learning environment provides an academically enriched and collaborative community for its diverse student population. Hands-on skill training prepares students for practice in a global community. Graduates of the Law School are leaders in state and federal government; they are judges, prosecutors, and criminal defense lawyers; they serve as general counsel to nationwide companies; and they passionately advocate for the most vulnerable in our community.
Tuition Fee – $51,000 per year
8. Santa Clara University
This is the next in line of the cheapest law schools in California. This school was founded in 1851 and is located in the heart of silicon valley. They offer graduate programs in Law. Such as JD and LLM. In addition to J.D. and LL.M. degrees, the School of Law offers unique combined degree programs in J.D./MSIS. The programs are as follows;
- J.D. Juris Doctor
- Hybrid, Part-Time Flex J.D.
- J.D./MBA Master of Business Administration
- J.D./MSIS Master of Science in Information Systems
- LL.M. Intellectual Property
- LL.M. International & Comparative Law
- LL.M. United States Law
Tuition Fee – $52,000 per year
9. University of San Francisco
This is the next on the list of cheapest law schools in California. This school offers JD program and LLM/ Graduate Tax programs. The JD program at the University of San Francisco will provide you with a grounding in both legal theories well as the opportunity to hone professional skills that will help you hit the ground running as a lawyer.
You can expand your professional expertise and qualifications with their LLM and Graduate Tax programs. We offer three Master of Laws (LLM) programs for students who have already earned a law degree, and one Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST) program for accounting and finance professionals to study tax law alongside practicing lawyers and law students.
Tuition Fee – $50,770 per year
10. Pepperdine University School of Law
This is the next in line of the cheapest law schools in California. Pepperdine Caruso Law seeks to provide a few highly qualified students with the opportunity to pursue an academically challenging program in a unique and exciting environment. The student body possesses exceptional intelligence, as well as diversity, and rich and varied talents. Students will be surrounded by others who were also at the top of their undergraduate academic class, leaders in extracurricular activities, and active participants in their community.
Their law Programs are; JD(Juris Doctor), LLM(Master of Laws), MDR (Master of Dispute Resolution), and MLS (Master of Legal Studies) (ONLINE). They also offer Programs for Professionals, Certificates, Joint Degrees, and Online Programs.
Tuition Fee – $57,560 per year
11. the University of California Los Angeles
This is the next in line of the cheapest law schools in California. UCLA is home to the College and 12 highly ranked professional schools. The College is home to more than 85 percent of undergraduates and four academic divisions: Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences.
The professional schools focus on fields of study that include the arts, education, law, medicine, music, public affairs, and more. Their Law school Offers J.D., L.L.M., M.L.S., and S.J.D programs. You can gain experience by volunteering at local organizations or working for federal judges, government agencies, public interest law firms, and nonprofit organizations.
Tuition Fee – $54,052.30 per year
12. Southwestern Law School
This is next on the list of cheapest law schools in California, and it is well known as the cheapest law school in California. Founded more than 100 years ago, Southwestern has developed a reputation for graduating lawyers who are well-rounded, entrepreneurial, and prepared to succeed. The school is the only American Bar Association-approved law school offering four programs of study leading to a J.D. degree that differ in scheduling and instructional approach. For law graduates who wish to pursue a post-J.D. degree, Southwestern offers two Master of Laws programs—a General LL.M. and an Entertainment and Media Law LL.M.
Tuition Fee – $27,858 per year
13. the University of California Berkeley School of Law
This is the last on the list of cheapest law schools in California. Berkeley Law is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. It is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the nation.
The law school has produced leaders in law, government, and society, including Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren, Secretary of State of the United States Dean Rusk, American civil rights activist Pauli Murray, California Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, president and founder of the Equal Justice Society Eva Paterson, United States Northern District of California Judge Thelton Henderson, and Attorney General of the United States Edwin Meese. This law school offers JD Programs, LLM Programs, Doctoral Programs
Tuition Fee – $55,316 per year
Conclusion
These law schools mentioned and talked about, are all affordable, and you can enroll in anyone of them, and make your legal career a reality.