Columbia University
Law
Completion ROI
$5,854,893
Payback
1.9 years
High upside
PROFESSIONAL | TX | PRIVATE NONPROFIT
Law at Southern Methodist University
This page puts upside and risk on the same screen so Degreeli can answer the real question: does this degree path still look worth it once completion friction is part of the math?
Degree Value Scorecard
Law
Southern Methodist University
Credential: PROFESSIONALState: TXData confidence: Medium
Editorial Verdict
Moderate value. The outcome can work, but the payback window makes cost control important.
Degreeli Value Score
0Score
Fair Value
Data Confidence: Medium
Directional value
0/100
Estimated Net Cost
$0
Estimated Debt
$0
Early-Career Salary
$0
Mid-Career Salary
$0
Category breakdown
Cost Efficiency
20/20
Cost Efficiency
Debt Risk
11.4/20
Debt Risk
Earnings Outlook
20/20
Earnings Outlook
Payback Timeline
6.2/15
Payback Timeline
Completion / Outcome Confidence
10/10
Completion / Outcome Confidence
Graduate Worth-It Reviews
5/10
Graduate Worth-It Reviews
Parent / Student Clarity Signal
2.5/5
Parent / Student Clarity Signal
Cost and debt
Estimated net cost
$163,568
Estimated debt
$101,412
Debt risk
Moderate
Salary and outcome outlook
Early-career salary
$119,819
Mid-career salary
$196,626
Salary outlook
Strong
Payback estimate
Payback years
0.0 years
Completion/outcome
Strong completion signal
Review signals
Graduate review rating
4.1 / 5
Parent review signal
Cost control matters above the mid-$40k debt range
Student signal
Students should compare faster-payback paths
Sample scorecard preview
Southern Methodist University
Law
Degreeli Value Score
75/ 100
Fair ValueMedium confidence
Estimated Debt
$42K
Early Salary
$54K
Payback
Moderate
Reviews
4.1 / 5
Good outcome potential, but cost control matters. Compare aid packages and lower-debt alternatives before committing.
Strengths and risks
Top strengths
- Cost looks efficient relative to expected early-career pay.
- Earnings outlook is strong for a first-decade career path.
- Completion/outcome signal supports the value case.
Main risks
- Payback could take longer than many families expect.
- Graduate review signal is limited or modeled.
Why this score?
Fair Value is a Degreeli Value Score v1 directional read based on modeled cost ($163,568), estimated debt ($101,412), early-career salary ($119,819), payback, completion, and review signals. The strongest signal is that cost looks efficient relative to expected early-career pay. The main caution is that payback could take longer than many families expect. Data confidence is medium, so this should support comparison rather than act as a guarantee.
The Degreeli Value Score is directional, not a guarantee of salary, employment, or personal financial outcome.
Better-value alternatives
Methodology and data confidence
Data confidence is medium. Cost, salary, payback, review, and outcome fields should be read as decision support, not financial advice.
MethodologyPrograms
Inspect this path, then stack it against alternatives.
Current school + degree
Law at Southern Methodist University
Expand the core read on debt, salary, payback, review context, and score confidence before comparing.
75
Fair Value
Current school + degree
Law at Southern Methodist University
Expand the core read on debt, salary, payback, review context, and score confidence before comparing.
75
Fair Value
Data Confidence
Medium
Estimated Debt
$101,412
Early Salary
$119,819
Payback
7.1 years
Worth-It Rating
4.1 / 5
Strengths
Cost looks efficient relative to expected early-career pay.
Earnings outlook is strong for a first-decade career path.
Completion/outcome signal supports the value case.
Risks
Payback could take longer than many families expect.
Graduate review signal is limited or modeled.
Moderate value. The outcome can work, but the payback window makes cost control important.
Better-value alternatives
Compare nearby paths before deciding.
These are sample comparison options from the current preview catalog, not a claim of full national coverage.
Expand
Better-value alternatives
Compare nearby paths before deciding.
These are sample comparison options from the current preview catalog, not a claim of full national coverage.
University of Pennsylvania
Law
Completion ROI
$5,722,509
Payback
2.5 years
Harvard University
Law
Completion ROI
$5,614,300
Payback
1.7 years
Bottom Line
High upside
Law looks viable, but not automatic. It still produces positive ROI after completion adjustment, which means the upside survives a more realistic enrollment path.
The main thing to watch is slippage between ideal and risk-adjusted outcomes. Degreeli estimates that completion risk trims about $457,540 off the on-time case here.
$40,892 School Net Price
84% School Graduation Rate
Risk Lens
How much value disappears once completion risk is acknowledged?
Ideal Case
$2,908,712
Risk-Adjusted Case
$2,451,172
Value At Risk
$457,540
Degreeli uses this gap to show how much value depends on finishing the program and reaching the expected outcome.
Verified reviews
Verified reviews of Law
Only approved reviews tied to Southern Methodist University and this specific program appear here. Reviewer identities stay private while verification badges explain how affiliation was checked.
No approved reviews yet.
Degreeli publishes only reviews that pass email verification, affiliation checks, automated screening, and moderator approval. Be the first to submit a verified review for this page.
Career AI Exposure
Moderate Exposure (52/100)
This path looks mixed: some tasks are AI-sensitive while human context still matters.
AI Exposure is a second lens beside ROI. It should inform comparison, not replace judgment.
Directional estimate from PROFESSIONAL taxonomy and program naming patterns. Replace with occupation-linked datasets as coverage expands.
Exposure Components
Read AI risk as task mix, not destiny.
Entry-Level Friction
56/100
Human Judgment Premium
66/100
Physical-World Durability
48/100
Higher exposure does not mean a path is bad. It means families should compare specialization paths, skill depth, and adaptation speed alongside ROI.
Compare Next
What should a family stack against this path?
Columbia University | PROFESSIONAL
Law
Completion-Adjusted ROI
$5,854,893
Years To Recoup
1.9 years
University of Pennsylvania | PROFESSIONAL
Law
Completion-Adjusted ROI
$5,722,509
Years To Recoup
2.5 years
Harvard University | PROFESSIONAL
Law
Completion-Adjusted ROI
$5,614,300
Years To Recoup
1.7 years
Same Field, Other Schools
The school can change the value story, even inside the same discipline.
American University
Law
Completion-adjusted ROI: $1,526,927
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Law
Completion-adjusted ROI: $1,478,844
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Law
Completion-adjusted ROI: $586,996
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