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2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

99 Ranked Colleges
3,117 Degrees Awarded
$6,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Public Administration is the 47th most popular major in the country with 17,269 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,117 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 99 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

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 Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k)

Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #1 spot on the list. John Jay is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 67 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for John Jay is $771 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full John Jay College of Criminal Justice Public Administration Report

#2

Baruch College

New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Baruch is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 40 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Baruch is $1,858 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, 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 88%.

Read more about Public Administration at Baruch

#3

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #3 spot on the list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 593 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $4,969 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin 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 student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Full IU Bloomington Public Administration Report

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 99 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida International University landed the #4 spot on the list. Florida International University is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, FIU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Florida International University is $5,002 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Florida International University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 42 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 more about Public Administration at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#7 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 93 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, Ohio State has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $8,194 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Ohio State Public Administration Report

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 41 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 more about Public Administration at California State University - Northridge

University of Central Florida landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Central Florida is a large school located in Orlando, Florida that handed out 65 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCF is $6,211 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration at UCF

California State University - Fullerton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Cal State Fullerton

#10

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, Florida

St Petersburg College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Clearwater, Florida, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend St Petersburg College is $1,454 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration at SPC

Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. BYU - I is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 12 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Idaho is $2,637 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 98 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $8,870 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 San Diego State University Public Administration Report

Indiana University - Northwest came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Gary, Indiana, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,287 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend IU Northwest.

Full IU Northwest Public Administration Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large public school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 90 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $5,052 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at IUPUI

#15

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin
#21 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Crosse, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend UW - La Crosse is $7,939 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at UW - La Crosse

#16

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indian River State College is located in Fort Pierce, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Indian River State College is $1,402 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Indian River State College Public Administration Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Stevens Point is $11,446 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at UW - Stevens Point

#18

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boca Raton, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,085 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Atlantic University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University

#19

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

Winona State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Winona State is a medium-sized public school situated in Winona, Minnesota. It awarded 6 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, Winona State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State University is $12,381 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Winona State

#20

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Western Carolina University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. WCU is a public institution located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WCU also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for WCU is $9,188 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at Western Carolina University

#21

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,868 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.

Full University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Public Administration Report

#22

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #22, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a medium-sized school located in Green Bay, Wisconsin that handed out 19 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,337 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay.

Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Public Administration Report

#23

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fayetteville State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It awarded 12 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fayetteville State University is $4,330 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Fayetteville State University Public Administration Report

#24

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#13 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UNI is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 11 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,757 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNI.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Northern Iowa Public Administration Report

#25

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 13 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCR is $8,366 for bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UCR Public Administration Report

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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