preLaw Magazine - Winter 2008 - (Page 16) PROFILE Another No. 1 for Columbia New York school carries nation’s highest tuition costs BY KAREN DYBIS said. And more than two-thirds of the class olumbia University’s Law School legal education on an annual basis. But as the old saying goes, you get what said they are working for their first-choice regularly garners the top spot in prestigious lists like best legal facili- you pay for. Notably, 99 percent of the employer. “In return for their investment, our ties and most qualified professors. But most recent graduating class — the Class there’s another category in which Columbia of 2006 — was employed by graduation. students receive exceptional training that invariably gets recognition for being No. Nearly all members of the class reported is recognized worldwide,” Dean David M. 1: It has the highest tuition costs in the that they were living in their first-choice Schizer said. location, as well as working in their chosen “Changes in curriculum and in teaching nation. Organizations such as U.S. News and area of legal practice, Columbia officials bring new costs to the school, which we are World Reports rank Columbia as the most expensive law school based on its tuition and fees for the 2006-07 academic year. Students pay more than $41,226 in tuition and fees each year, according to the magazine’s rankings of U.S. graduate schools. Add to that another $14,400 for room and board, $1,100 for books and $3,300 for other expenses and it’s easy to see why Columbia tops the list of most expensive law schools. Butler Library on the Columbia University campus. Founded in 1858, Columbia is one of the first law schools established in Columbia Law School tuition rates over the past 10 years the United States. It also is one of the university’s larg$45,000 est degree programs with approximately 1,200 J.D. Tuition students enrolled across all Inflation three years of study. $40,000 Still, the percentage difference between Columbia, Yale (No. 2 on the list) and Northwestern (No. 3) is $35,000 minimal. Tuition is $40,900 at Yale and $40,680 at Northwestern, according to the Internet Legal Research $30,000 Group. What is startling is how fast those expenses have increased over the past $25,000 decade. Consider this: In 1997-98, Columbia students 1997-'98 '98-'99 '99-2000 '00-'01 '01-'02 '02-'03 '03-'04 '04-'05 '05-'0 '06-'07 paid about $25,666 for their •Information provided by the ABA Journal •Information computed from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics C 16 preLaw PHOTO BY DANIELLA ZALCMAN
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