Special Focus Two-Year: Other FieldsPrivate (for-profit)

Center for Advanced Legal Studies

Houston, Texas·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·paralegal.edu
Acceptance
32.8%
-42.8pp vs Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
6-yr Graduation
62%
—
Total enrollment
271
peer median 240
Avg net price
$13,959
-$8.9k vs Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersDocuments

About

Center for Advanced Legal Studies (CALS) is an accredited paralegal college located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1987, CALS specializes in paralegal education, offering programs including paralegal certificates, an Associate of Applied Science Degree, and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Business. The institution is recognized as a leader in paralegal education, having regained American Bar Association approval in 2026 after previously being approved from 1998 to 2014.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
64
64 candidates competed
Admitted
21
32.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
8
38.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
62%

Pell equity

23.1pp gap
Pell recipients
66%21 of 32
Non-Pell (all)
43%3 of 7
Subsidized loan, no Pell
0%0 of 1
No Federal Aid
50%3 of 6

Pell recipients here graduate at a 23.1-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 7 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 6 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
7
Passing
1
14.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

7programs
  • Passing1 · 14.3%
  • No Data6 · 85.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
6

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Legal Support Services
Associate Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+16.9%
$38,920 vs $33,298

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

2
Legal Support Services
Associate Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
54%
$21,084 debt · $38,920 earn
Legal Support Services
Undergraduate Certificate · Legal Professions And Studies
21%
$9,397 debt · $44,894 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

Accredited since 2020Next review May 2029
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Accredited since 2016
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Council on Occupational Education

Accredited since 1989Next review Dec 2019

Action history · 5

  1. Jul 2025Voluntary Withdrawal Received
    Council on Occupational Education
  2. Dec 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
  3. Sep 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Occupational Education
  4. Oct 2017Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
  5. Feb 2014Renewal of Accreditation
    Council on Occupational Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$13,901
$30–48k—
$48–75k$15,069
$75–110k—
$110k+—

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$13,959
-$8,927vs Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields median $22,886
Federal loans
63.3%

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 222 students received $1.4M in Pell grants, alongside $2.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
222
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.4M
$1,411,305 total
Direct Loans
$2.4M
449 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$973K
231 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.4M
218 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 134 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
134
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.1%
2017
11.1%
2018
7.6%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Paralegal

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs2
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

45 total completions
01Legal Professions
45100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
271
12-mo unduplicated
415
Undergraduate
415
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
10%41
Women
90%374

Race / ethnicity composition

Black
38.4%
White
28.8%
Hispanic
28.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.8%
Asian
1.5%
Two or more
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 243 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago4.591 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
1
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    25.0:1

    Paralegal vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Paralegal selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectCenter for Advanced Legal Studies
    		62%32.8%271$13,959Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Alaska Career College
    		——250$20,150Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Apex College of Veterinary Technology
    		——27$20,030Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Athena Career Academy
    		—78.0%516$22,886Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Carrington College-San Leandro Campus
    		—91.9%326$39,675Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Carrington College-Stockton
    		—67.6%436$37,481Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    CBT Technology Institute-Cutler Bay
    		——326$17,416Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Central Coast College
    		—95.7%631$26,667Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    College of Court Reporting Inc
    		——182$39,997Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Interactive College of Technology
    		——65$16,638Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Interactive College of Technology-Gainesville
    		——50$16,796Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Interactive College of Technology-Morrow
    		——117$16,844Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Long Island Business Institute
    		—73.2%—$11,166Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Miller-Motte College-Jacksonville
    		——195$23,535Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Miller-Motte College-Macon
    		——230$21,074Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Ohio Business College-Sandusky
    		——22$30,486Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Ohio Business College-Sheffield
    		——224$28,738Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Professional Golfers Career College
    		——70$37,351Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
    		——257$26,717Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    South Coast College
    		——306$16,534Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Southern Careers Institute-Austin
    		——746$25,660Special Focus Two-Year: Other Fields
    Peer group median62%75.6%240$22,886

    Institutions like Paralegal

    Explore the federal data for institutions in Paralegal's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about Center for Advanced Legal Studies

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Paralegal.

    What is the acceptance rate at Center for Advanced Legal Studies?

    Center for Advanced Legal Studies's acceptance rate is 32.8% (21 admitted from 64 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

    What is the graduation rate at Center for Advanced Legal Studies?

    Center for Advanced Legal Studies reports a 6-year graduation rate of 62% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Center for Advanced Legal Studies?

    Center for Advanced Legal Studies reports a total enrollment of 271 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Center for Advanced Legal Studies?

    The average net price at Center for Advanced Legal Studies is $13,959 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at Center for Advanced Legal Studies?

    Center for Advanced Legal Studies's yield rate is 38.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is Center for Advanced Legal Studies located?

    Center for Advanced Legal Studies is located in Houston, Texas 77042-1912.

    About the data on this page

    Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

    IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
    Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
    National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
    College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
    Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
    U.S. Department of Education
    FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
    Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
    U.S. Department of Education
    DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
    Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
    Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
    Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
    U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
    Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
    Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
    Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
    U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
    Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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