Online Master of Legal Studies Tuition: What 33 Programs Charge

Key Findings on Online MLS Tuition

1. The range is $16,920 to $70,278. American Public University charges the least for its 36-credit degree and UCLA charges the most for 26 credits. The gap is $53,358.
2. The median online MLS costs $42,270. 16 of 33 programs come in under $40,000. 7 cost less than $30,000, and 4 cost $60,000 or more.
3. 22 of 33 programs require exactly 30 credits. Those 22 programs have a median total of $38,190, so the standard 30-credit degree lands below the all-program median.
4. Fewer credits does not mean a lower bill. Six programs require fewer than 30 credits, and none of them costs less than $42,614. USC Gould needs only 21 credits and charges $70,224, the second-highest total.
5. Tuition per credit runs from $470 to $3,344. The median is $1,366 across the 32 programs that use semester credits. Drexel counts 45 quarter credits, so we leave it out of per-credit figures.
6. 20 of 33 programs offer a health-related concentration. Business or corporate law follows at 18, then compliance at 17, and employment or HR law at 16.
7. 17 of 33 programs list five or more concentrations. Regent University lists the most at 14. Four programs list none.

How Online MLS Tuition Is Spread Out

The middle is crowded: 19 of 33 programs cost between $30,000 and $50,000. The ends of the range are thin: 2 programs sit between $10,000 and $20,000, and 4 cost $60,000 or more.

Every Online MLS Program, Ranked by Total Tuition

All 33 programs, from lowest total to highest. Per-credit figures divide total tuition by credits required. Download the data as a CSV.

Drexel's per-credit cell is blank because its credits are quarter credits, which are a different size from semester credits.

What Online MLS Tuition Means for Your Budget

A $53,000 spread in total tuition is large for a degree that doesn't lead to a law license. You can pay under $25,000 and still earn the same type of degree, a legal master's for people who aren't lawyers. What you're paying extra for is usually a bigger law school brand, a longer concentration list or live class time.

Start with total tuition, not the price per credit. USC Gould has a high per-credit price and a short 21-credit plan, and the total still lands near the top. Arizona charges $750 per credit, and its 30 credits come to $22,500.

Then check the concentration against your job. If you work in a hospital or clinic, health law is offered by 20 of these programs. If you handle audits or policy, look at the 17 that list compliance. If none of the concentration names fit your work, a program with a broad core may serve you better.

Fees come on top of every figure here. Compare a program's fee schedule before you decide, and read the full guide to master's in legal studies cost for how to build a term-by-term estimate.

How We Built This Report

Population. Every program in our directory delivered fully online with a published or calculable tuition total: 33 programs. Campus and hybrid programs are excluded.

Total tuition. We use the program's published degree tuition when it states one. Where it publishes only a per-credit rate, we multiply the rate by the credits required. Some totals use the nonresident rate, and fees, books and living costs are excluded unless a school bundles them into its tuition figure. ASU's figure includes fees.

Per credit. Total tuition divided by credits required, rounded to the nearest dollar. Drexel is excluded from per-credit statistics because it uses quarter credits.

Concentrations. We count a program once per topic if any of its listed concentrations match the topic. Health includes health care compliance, and business includes corporate law.

Dates. Program pages and tuition sources were last checked September 4, 2026, for the 2026-2027 academic year. This report was compiled October 6, 2026. Read the site methodology and the source list for more.