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2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia

15 Ranked Colleges
2,157 Degrees Awarded
$20,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Public Administration & Social Service is the 14th most popular major in the country with 98,583 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public administration & social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,520 and had an average of $27,642 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 2,157 public administration & social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,798 and $27,601 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking analyzed 15 colleges that offered a degree in public administration & social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration & social service programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration & social service program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia public administration & social service students.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration & social service degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $21,301 for virginia public administration & social service students per year to attend Virginia Tech.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Virginia Tech

2
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. GMU is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 342 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend George Mason University is $19,551 for virginia public administration & social service students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GMU Public Administration & Social Service Report

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia. JMU is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 136 ’s public administration & social service degrees in 2020-2021.

JMU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $22,562 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at James Madison University

4

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #4 spot on the list. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 348 ’s public administration & social service degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students list, VCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $20,490 for virginia public administration & social service students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Commonwealth University Public Administration & Social Service Report

5
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration & social service degrees to 180 students in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $22,006 for virginia public administration & social service students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at University of Virginia - Main Campus

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking, coming in at #6. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 495 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,382 for virginia public administration & social service students.

Full Liberty University Public Administration & Social Service Report

7
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. This medium-sized school is located in Radford, Virginia, and it awarded 92 ’s public administration & social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $16,505 for virginia public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Radford

8
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. Old Dominion University is a large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 44 ’s public administration & social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $17,204 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Old Dominion.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Old Dominion

9
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

William & Mary landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. William & Mary is a public institution located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

William & Mary also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $19,593 for virginia public administration & social service students per year to attend William & Mary.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full William & Mary Public Administration & Social Service Report

10
Norfolk State crest
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk State University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. Norfolk State University is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Norfolk State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Norfolk State University is $15,657 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Norfolk State

11
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

With a ranking of #11, Regent University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 69 degrees to qualified ’s public administration & social service students in 2020-2021.

Regent not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $24,888 for virginia public administration & social service students per year to attend Regent University.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Regent

12

Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a private for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is $13,174 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach

13
Virginia State crest
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia

Virginia State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking, coming in at #13. Virginia State University is a small school located in Petersburg, Virginia that handed out 35 ’s public administration & social service degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students list, Virginia State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $17,237 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Virginia State.

Full Virginia State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

14
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia ranking. Mary Baldwin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Staunton, Virginia. It awarded 25 ’s public administration & social service degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mary Baldwin, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Mary Baldwin is $18,354 for virginia public administration & social service students.

Full Mary Baldwin University Public Administration & Social Service Report

15
Bluefield College crest
Bluefield College
Bluefield, Virginia

Bluefield College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia list. Bluefield College is located in Bluefield, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s public administration & social service degrees to qualified students.

Bluefield College also took the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bluefield College is $22,442 for virginia public administration & social service students.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Bluefield College

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Notes and References

References

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