Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies graduates from Thomas M Cooley Law School earn $89,975 median salary — below the national average for this program. Median debt: $199,224.
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at Thomas M Cooley Law School
Lansing, Michigan • First Professional
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at Thomas M Cooley Law School
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Thomas M Cooley Law School and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at the first professional credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program — not the school as a whole. Completer counts for the most recent cohort are not currently reported for this program-school pairing.
Median graduate earnings of $89,975 represent Treasury-verified wages approximately one year after program completion, drawn from Social Security Administration records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Compared to the national mean of $90,086 across all institutions offering Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Thomas M Cooley Law School, the mean median-earnings figure is $82,061, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies graduates at Thomas M Cooley Law School is $199,224, which translates to roughly $1,660 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.21 is above the 1.0 threshold, meaning cumulative debt exceeds first-year post-completion earnings. Program-level debt and earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard FOS release, updated annually.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | $155,436 | $75,943 |
| Georgetown University | $99,212 | $170,377 |
| Thomas M Cooley Law School (this school) | $89,975 | $199,224 |
| Vermont Law and Graduate School | $81,178 | — |
| University of California-Berkeley | $60,003 | $76,307 |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | $54,713 | — |
Other Programs at Thomas M Cooley Law School
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (current) | $89,975 | $199,224 |
| Law | $74,147 | $202,668 |
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.