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Real estate lawyer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a real estate lawyer. Real estate lawyers usually study law, business, or accounting. 43% of real estate lawyers hold a doctoral degree, and 43% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 22 real real estate lawyer resumes to see exactly what real estate lawyer education sections show.

The most common colleges for real estate lawyers are the DePaul University and the DePaul University.

There are also many online real estate lawyer courses to help get the education required to be a real estate lawyer.

What education do you need to become a real estate lawyer?

What degree do you need to be a real estate lawyer?

The most common degree for real estate lawyers is doctoral degree, with 43% of real estate lawyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 43% and bachelor's degree degree at 14%.
  • Doctorate, 43%
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • High School Diploma, 14%

What should I major in to become a real estate lawyer?

You should major in law to become a real estate lawyer. 67% of real estate lawyers major in law. Other common majors for a real estate lawyer include business and accounting.

Most common colleges for real estate lawyers

Real estate lawyer common collegePercentages
DePaul University50.00%
Fordham University50.00%

Best majors for real estate lawyers

Best colleges for real estate lawyers

The best colleges for real estate lawyers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

A real estate lawyer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for real estate lawyers. 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 real estate lawyers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for real estate lawyers

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3. U.S. Residential Real Estate, Property & Mortgage Business

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Property & Mortgage Underwriting Loan Processing Financial Analysis Mortgage Operations Origination...

4. Brief Intro to Commercial Real Estate

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Learn the essential fundamentals of commercial real estate...

5. The Commercial Real Estate Lease Modeling Master Class

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6. Real Estate Acquisitions 101

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8. Real Estate Investing: Strategies, Tools & Investing Mindset

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Real Estate Investing: Property & market analysis, action plans, tips, negotiation & real estate investing strategies...

9. The Guide To Office & Industrial Real Estate Investing

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How To Analyze Office and Industrial Real Estate Investments For Smarter Investing...

10. Commercial Real Estate Investing 101

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The Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Apartment, Retail, Office, and Industrial Real Estate Investing...

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18. Complete Real Estate Wholesaling course 2023(With Contracts)

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19. The Advanced Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp

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The Complete Guide To Advanced Real Estate Financial Modeling For Real Estate Investment Professionals...

20. The Real Estate Development Modeling Master Class

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The Complete Guide To Building Real Estate Development Pro Forma Models From Scratch For Smarter Real Estate Investing...

Top 10 most affordable universities for real estate lawyers

The most affordable schools for real estate lawyers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for real estate lawyers 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 real estate lawyers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for real estate lawyers

The hardest universities for real estate lawyers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for real estate lawyers 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 real estate lawyers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for real estate lawyers

The easiest schools for real estate lawyers to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a real estate lawyer 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 real estate lawyers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

Average real estate lawyer salary by education level

Real estate lawyers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $77,709 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, real estate lawyers earn a median annual income of $75,093 compared to $74,923 for real estate lawyers with an Doctorate degree.
Real estate lawyer education levelReal estate lawyer salary
Master's Degree$77,709
High School Diploma or Less$65,199
Bachelor's Degree$75,093
Doctorate Degree$74,923
Some College/ Associate Degree$65,864

Real estate lawyer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.