2023 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy
197
Ranked Colleges
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When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 6,484 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In , public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $32,327 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major” ranking analyzed 197 colleges that offered a degree in public policy. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public policy.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major”.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 210 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Princeton University Public Policy Report
Out of the 197 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity College landed the #3 spot on the list. Trinity College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hartford, Connecticut. The school has a small population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Public Policy at Trinity Bantams
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brandeis University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Brandeis University is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 219 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Public Policy at Brandeis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bennington College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. This small school is located in Bennington, Vermont, and it awarded 14 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Bennington
University of Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 363 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UChicago Public Policy Report
Brown University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 123 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Brown
With a ranking of #8, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Gettysburg is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Gettysburg
Duke University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Duke University is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 288 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at Duke University
Siena College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Siena College is located in Loudonville, New York and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Siena Public Policy Report
Barnard College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Barnard College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 19 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Barnard College
Hamilton College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. This small school is located in Clinton, New York, and it awarded 21 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Hamilton College
Adler University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 13 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Public Policy at Adler
SUNY Empire State College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, this medium-sized public school awarded 86 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at SUNY Empire State College
Georgetown University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 59 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Policy at Georgetown University
Dickinson College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #16. Dickinson is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Dickinson
Pomona College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 12 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Pomona Public Policy Report
California Lutheran University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. Thousand Oaks, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 28 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at California Lutheran University
Harvard University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 304 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 172 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Policy Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 181 ’s public policy degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Public Policy Report
William & Mary landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 53 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at William & Mary
St Mary’s College of Maryland came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Located in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, this small public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full St Mary’s College of Maryland Public Policy Report
Washington & Jefferson College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major list. W&J is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at W&J
Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Policy Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Public Policy at Teachers College at Columbia University
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