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District attorney education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a district attorney. District attorneys usually study law, criminal justice, or political science. 52% of district attorneys hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 2,324 real district attorney resumes to see exactly what district attorney education sections show.
The most common colleges for district attorneys are the Southwestern Law School and the Southwestern Law School.
There are also many online district attorney courses to help get the education required to be a district attorney.
What education do you need to become a district attorney?
What degree do you need to be a district attorney?
- Bachelor's, 52%
- Doctorate, 30%
- Associate, 8%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a district attorney?
- Law, 33%
- Criminal Justice, 13%
- Political Science, 13%
- Business, 8%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for district attorneys
| District attorney common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Southwestern Law School | 10.00% |
| University of California - Davis | 8.57% |
| University of Denver | 8.21% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.50% |
| Santa Clara University | 5.36% |
Best majors for district attorneys
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Law | 32.7% |
| 2 | Criminal Justice | 13.2% |
| 3 | Political Science | 12.6% |
| 4 | Business | 7.5% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.3% |
Best colleges for district attorneys
The best colleges for district attorneys are University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A district attorney with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for district attorneys. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become district attorneys.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$58,230
Enrollment
6,600
3. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Enrollment
32,072
6. University of Richmond
University of Richmond, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$52,610
Enrollment
3,215
7. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
10. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
20 best online courses for district attorneys
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Top 10 most affordable universities for district attorneys
The most affordable schools for district attorneys are University of Florida, brigham young university, and florida international university.
If the best universities for district attorneys are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for district attorneys.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
7. University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$8,178
Cost of attendance
20,934
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
10. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus
San Juan, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
11,299
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for district attorneys
The hardest universities for district attorneys to get into are University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for district attorneys are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for district attorneys based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for district attorneys
The easiest schools for district attorneys to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, nyack college, and university of baltimore.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a district attorney without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for district attorneys.
1. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
6. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
7. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
9. Saint Thomas University
Miami Gardens, FL • Private
Admissions rate
52%
SAT average
1,031
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average district attorney salary by education level
| District attorney education level | District attorney salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $74,771 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025