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Best Legal Studies Schools Near Hastings, NE (2026)
Updated August 31, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Hastings, Nebraska is home to about 25,005 residents. Median household income is $61,202 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Nebraska, the top-earning legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $109,170 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Legal Studies Schools to Hastings
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies programs near Hastings, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hastings city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Hastings.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Nebraska schools on the Nebraska legal studies page.
Legal Studies Wages Near Hastings
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Nebraska, statewide)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant
$63,250
Lawyer
$109,170
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant
$45,800
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Hastings at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
25,005
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$61,202
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
28.0%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Other Hastings-Area Cities With Legal Studies Programs
What are the highest-paying legal studies roles in Nebraska?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles in Nebraska are: Lawyer ($109,170), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($63,250), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($45,800). Wages for Hastings workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Grand Island instead of Hastings?
Grand Island, NE is 22.5 miles from Hastings and has its own set of local legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Hastings an affordable place to study legal studies?
Hastings’s median household income of $61,202 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hastings while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Nebraska public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: August 31, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
