ROI Major

Legal Support Services at Texas A&M University - Commerce

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 22.03

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Legal Support Services degree from Texas A&M University - Commerce earn a median salary of $58,547 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,569. The degree typically pays for itself in 10.6 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$41,695

Typical Career

$58,547

Top Performers

$76,823

Estimated break-even: 10.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$390

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,879. Most students can comfortably afford about a $390 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.5x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 45.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 10.0%
Manufacturing 7.2%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$63,569

Nominal: $58,547 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

10.6 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $26,325 $37,092 $49,357
5 Years After Graduation $41,695 $58,547 $76,823
10 Years After Graduation $43,197 $58,363 $69,498

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $58,547 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $58,547 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $63,569 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Legal Support Services program at Texas A&M University - Commerce experience a notable earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $37,092, which increases to $58,547 after five years. Interestingly, the median earnings after ten years slightly decrease to $58,363. When considering purchasing power, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary for five years post-graduation is approximately $63,568.95, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living relative to national averages despite Texas's lower cost of living index.

The top industries for graduates reveal a strong inclination towards Educational Services, which employs 45% of alumni, followed by Health Care & Social Assistance at 10% and Manufacturing at 7.2%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 10.6 years, suggesting a moderate return on investment. Overall, while the program offers a stable career path, prospective students should weigh the time required to recoup educational costs against their long-term career goals.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Legal Support Services degree at Texas A&M University - Commerce stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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