Average Law School Debt (Private Nonprofit Proxy) (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Private nonprofit sector median borrower debt: $23,887; National median (all institution types): $13,531.50.
Key Facts
- Private nonprofit sector median borrower debt: $23,887
- National median (all institution types): $13,531.50
Download the data
Downloads reflect the processed dataset used to generate this page’s charts and tables.
Law School Debt Context (Proxy Comparison)
Private Nonprofit Borrowing vs National
Median borrower debt at private nonprofit institutions is $23,887, compared with $13,531.50 nationally across all institution types. Median borrower debt for students at **private nonprofit** institutions vs the national median across all institution types — a structural proxy because most ABA law schools are private nonprofits; not a JD-only borrower cohort.
Proxy comparison using institution-sector medians; not a JD-only borrower cohort. Source: College Scorecard (2024 data).
FAQ
What does the Average Law School Debt (Private Nonprofit Proxy) (2026 stats) dataset measure?
It summarizes the metrics shown on this page (charts and tables) using the sources listed in the Data Sources section, with national aggregates and breakdowns where available.
What is the primary data source?
College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Some pages also incorporate Census ACS context where noted.
How often is this page updated?
Pages update when the underlying processed datasets are refreshed and the HTML is regenerated; the Last updated date reflects the most recent build.
Analysis & insights
Where the underlying source reports balances, the national median debt in this slice sits near $23,887. Balances skew: a thin tail of very large loans lifts averages above the median. Public, private nonprofit, and for-profit sectors do not move in lockstep, and states thick with graduate programs look different from states built on two-year colleges. The figures describe borrowers already in the data—not a promise about anyone enrolling tomorrow.
Repayment turns on jobs, program length, family support, and factors no aggregate table captures. A weak regional labor market can make the same balance harder to carry than national figures imply. Loan caps and rules have changed across cohorts; comparisons across years need matching vintages. Debt and earnings for the same group belong in the same frame.
Data Sources
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and enrollment data
- Data year: 2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Census ACS - U.S. Census Bureau
- Demographic and workforce data
- Data year: 2023
- Source: census.gov