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2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

479 Ranked Colleges
40,596 Degrees Awarded
$3,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 40,596 people earned their degree in public health, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public health graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $43,158 and had an average of $27,396 in loans still to pay off.

This year’s “Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 479 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public health. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public health programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public health program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Health Schools

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The public health 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 “Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Health (Income $0-$30k)

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 87 ’s public health degrees to qualified students.

Duke also made our “Best Public Health Schools” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $371 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. 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.

Read more about Public Health at Duke University

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 372 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $2,564 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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%.

Read more about Public Health at Harvard

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 32 degrees to qualified ’s public health students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,233 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read more about Public Health at Stanford University

4
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 ’s public health degrees to qualified students.

Brown also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brown is $1,468 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Health at Brown University

5
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

Out of the 479 schools in the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Johns Hopkins University landed the #5 spot on the list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public health degrees to 1,002 students in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 1.3%, 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.

Read full report on Public Health at Johns Hopkins University

6
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Health Schools” list. It costs about $3,176 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Public Health at Vanderbilt

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public health degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public health students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. It costs about $245 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Public Health at Northwestern

8
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 85 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

Yale also made our “Best Public Health Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $961 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Public Health at Yale

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 399 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

UF also made our “Best Public Health Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend UF is $65 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Health at University of Florida

10

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 332 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Health Report

11

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public health degrees to 224 students in 2020-2021.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Public Health Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $2,670 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 more about Public Health at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

12

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 625 ’s public health degrees to qualified students.

Columbia also made our “Best Public Health Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $9,873 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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 Health at Columbia University in the City of New York

13

Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 136 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public health students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,556 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Washington University in St Louis Public Health Report

14
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 55 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UPenn also did well on our “Best Public Health Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $580 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UPenn Public Health Report

15
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public health degrees to 132 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Tufts, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $8,122 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Tufts Public Health Report

16

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public health degrees to 450 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $3,981 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UW - Madison Public Health Report

17

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public health degrees to 263 students in 2020-2021.

IU Bloomington excels when it comes to public health quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $5,752 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Bloomington.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Public Health Report

18

University of California - Berkeley landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 477 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Health Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Berkeley Public Health Report

19

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 436 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #13 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,194 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UW Seattle Public Health Report

20

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 203 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Public Health Report

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 516 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

UMCP also took the #19 spot in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,067 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Health at UMCP

22
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 16 ’s public health degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $396 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hunter.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hunter Public Health Report

23
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 102 ’s public health degrees to qualified students.

Purdue excels when it comes to public health quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $5,995 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Purdue.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 93%.

Full Purdue Public Health Report

24
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public health degrees to 436 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public health students whose families make $0-$30k list, Emory has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Health Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Emory University is $8,538 for Public Health students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Health at Emory

25

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 229 ’s public health degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Public Health Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for public health students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Public Health Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia
28
29
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
30
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York
31
31
33
34
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts
35
36
37
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
38
39
40
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
41
42
43
44
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
45
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
46
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
47
48
49
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
50
SPC crest
St Petersburg College
Clearwater, Florida

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Public Health Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa Crosse, WI
52Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
53California State University - StanislausTurlock, CA
54University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, CA
55Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH
56Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
57The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
58York CollegeJamaica, NY
59California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
60University of IowaIowa City, IA
61California State University - FresnoFresno, CA
62University of Virginia - Main CampusCharlottesville, VA
63University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
64The University of West FloridaPensacola, FL
65East Carolina UniversityGreenville, NC
RankCollegeLocation
66Northern Arizona UniversityFlagstaff, AZ
67Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeNew York, NY
68Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI
69University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
70University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
71San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
72Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY

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