Private nonprofit

Thomas M Cooley Law School

Lansing, Michigan·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·cooley.edu
Total enrollment
420
peer median 489
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Program outcomes

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

Of 2 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail.

Total programs
2
Passing
2
100.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

2programs
  • Passing2 · 100.0%
  • No Data0 · 0.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
0

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.

2
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+36.0%
$74,147 vs $54,534
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+65.0%
$89,975 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

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

2
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
264%
$195,901 debt · $74,147 earn
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
171%
$153,980 debt · $89,975 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 2001Next review Aug 2036
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Accredited since 1975Next review Aug 2031

Action history · 7

  1. Jan 2026Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Nov 2025Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  3. Aug 2025Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  4. May 2022Probation or Equivalent or More Severe Status: Monitoring
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  5. May 2020Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Show Cause
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, students received in Pell grants, alongside $18.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
null total
Direct Loans
$18.9M
664 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Unsubsidized · Grad$8.2M
352 loan awards
Grad PLUS$10.7M
312 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.

Of 430 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
430
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.4%
2017
2.9%
2018
1.9%
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 Thomas M Cooley Law School

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs7
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

142 total completions
01Legal Professions
142100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
420
12-mo unduplicated
558

Gender split

Men
42%237
Women
58%321

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.77
1 offenses · 564 students

3-year trend

1.032 yrs ago1.451 yr ago1.77Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
3
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

Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

1total
  • Public property1

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Thomas M Cooley Law School vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Thomas M Cooley Law School selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectThomas M Cooley Law School
420
Trinity Law School
273
Roger Williams University School of Law
484
California Western School of Law
650
Albany Law School
670
Community Care College
493$24,958Community College
Peer group median489$24,958

Frequently asked questions about Thomas M Cooley Law School

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Thomas M Cooley Law School.

How many students attend Thomas M Cooley Law School?

Thomas M Cooley Law School reports a total enrollment of 420 students per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Thomas M Cooley Law School located?

Thomas M Cooley Law School is located in Lansing, Michigan 48933.

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