Columbia University: Salaries and Debt
Median earnings
Median earnings of 2018 and 2019 graduates for the first full year calendar after graduation, reported in 2021 dollars.
The earnings data reflected on this page are the latest available as January 2024.
To create sufficiently large datasets, the federal government creates cohort pools that combine two graduating classes.
Median earnings by Pell grant recipients
Median earnings by gender
Repayment progress over time
Increasing your earning potential is one reason to borrow for law school. However, unless you plan to rely on programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, you will care about making progress on repaying your student loans. The following table highlights a snapshot of repayment progress for 2019 and 2020 graduates one year after they enter repayment, and for 2016 and 2017 graduates 2-4 years after entering repayment (usually six months after graduation).
| Status |
% of grads by repayment status 1y after graduation
2019 and 2020 grads
|
% of grads by repayment status
2016 and 2017 grads
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2y after graduation | 3y after graduation | 4y after graduation | ||
|
In default
|
<=0.02 | - | <=0.05 | <=0.05 |
|
Delinquent
|
<=0.02 | - | <=0.05 | <=0.05 |
|
In forbearance
|
0.39 - 0.40 | - | <=0.05 | 0.20 - 0.24 |
|
In deferment
|
<=0.02 | - | <=0.05 | <=0.05 |
|
Not making progress
|
0.25 - 0.26 | 0.27 | 0.15 - 0.19 | 0.05 - 0.09 |
|
Making progress
|
0.07 - 0.08 | 0.3 | 0.25 - 0.29 | 0.15 - 0.19 |
|
Paid in full
|
0.25 - 0.26 | 0.39 | 0.50 - 0.54 | 0.50 - 0.54 |
|
Discharged
|
<=0.02 | - | <=0.05 | <=0.05 |
Earnings over time
As graduates progress through their careers, their earnings change. The following table and chart highlight earnings changes for 2015 and 2016 graduates for the first, second, third, and fourth full calendars years after graduation.
| Number of years after graduation | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year (2018 dollars) | $180,300/y |
| 2 years (2019 dollars) | $180,752/y |
| 3 years (2020 dollars) | $230,020/y |
| 4 years (2021 dollars) | $280,926/y |
Salary distribution for 2018 graduates
| # of grads | % of class | 25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed - salary reported | 429 | 95.5% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $165,702 |
| Employed - No salary reported | 11 | 2.4% | ||||
| Non-employed | 9 | 2% | ||||
| Total graduates | 449 | 100% | ||||
Salary distribution by job sector for 2018 graduates
| # of grads | % of class | 25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private sector - salary reported | 359 | 80% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $186,014 |
| Private sector - no salary reported | 9 | 2% | ||||
| Public sector - salary reported | 70 | 15.6% | $51,212 | $60,000 | $68,036 | $61,529 |
| Public sector - no salary reported | 2 | 0.4% | ||||
| Unknown sector | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Non-employed | 9 | 2% | ||||
| Total graduates | 449 | 100% | ||||
When a row has no salary data, indicated by a "-" (hyphen), it either means that no graduates reported a salary for the category or that fewer than five graduates reported a salary for the category.
Salaries by job type for 2018 graduates
| Full-time, long-term salaries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # in category
|
# Salaries
|
% of class
|
25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
| Bar passage required | 424 | 420 | 93.5% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $166,862 |
| J.D. advantage | 9 | 9 | 2% | $60,000 | $134,000 | $160,000 | $111,556 |
| Professional | 2 | - | 0% | ||||
| Non-professional | 0 | - | 0% | ||||
| Employed | 440 | 429 | 95.5% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $165,702 |
| Non-employed | 9 | ||||||
| Total Graduates | 449 | ||||||
Salaries by employer type and job type for 2018 graduates
| Full-time, long-term salaries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # in category
|
# Salaries
|
% of class
|
25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
| Law firm | 359 | 353 | 78.6% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $186,810 |
| Law firm: Bar passage required | 357 | 353 | 78.6% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $186,810 |
|
Law firm:
Other
|
2 | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Business & industry | 9 | 6 | 1.3% | $120,000 | $155,000 | $168,000 | $139,167 |
| Government | 20 | 20 | 4.5% | $57,500 | $60,000 | $71,000 | $63,274 |
| Government: Bar passage required | 20 | 20 | 4.5% | $57,500 | $60,000 | $71,000 | $63,274 |
| Public interest | 26 | 24 | 5.3% | $42,500 | $58,000 | $61,000 | $54,542 |
| Public interest: Bar passage required | 22 | 20 | 4.5% | $42,500 | $58,000 | $61,000 | $55,200 |
|
Public interest:
Other
|
4 | 4 | 0.9% | ||||
| Clerkship | 25 | 25 | 5.6% | $52,000 | $68,000 | $69,904 | $63,943 |
| Federal | 22 | 22 | 4.9% | $60,000 | $68,000 | $69,904 | $64,472 |
| State | 3 | - | |||||
| Education | 1 | — | — | ||||
| Employed | 440 | 429 | 95.5% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $165,702 |
| Non-employed | 9 | ||||||
| Total graduates | 449 | ||||||
Law firm salaries by size for 2018 graduates
| Full-time, long-term salaries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # in category
|
# Salaries
|
% of class
|
25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
| Law firm size | 359 | 353 | 78.6% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $186,810 |
| Solo | 1 | ||||||
| 2-10 attorneys | 2 | - | 0% | ||||
| 11-25 attorneys | 2 | - | 0% | ||||
| 26-50 attorneys | 2 | - | 0% | ||||
| 51-100 attorneys | 4 | - | 0% | ||||
| 101-250 attorneys | 12 | 12 | 2.7% | $160,000 | $190,000 | $192,500 | $174,167 |
| 251-500 attorneys | 41 | 40 | 8.9% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $185,375 |
| 501+ attorneys | 295 | 292 | 65% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $189,349 |
| Size unknown | 0 | ||||||
| Employed, non-law firm | 81 | 76 | 16.9% | ||||
| Non-employed | 9 | ||||||
| Total graduates | 449 | ||||||
Salaries by state for 2018 graduates
| Full-time, long-term salaries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # in category
|
# salaries
|
% of class
|
25th percentile | 50th percentile | 75th percentile | Mean | |
| New York | - | 318 | 70.8% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $173,663 |
| Outside of New York or unknown |
- | 111 | 24.7% | $69,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $142,893 |
| Employed | 440 | 429 | 95.5% | $190,000 | $190,000 | $190,000 | $165,702 |
| Non-employed | 9 | ||||||
| Total graduates | 449 | ||||||
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