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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

12 Ranked Colleges
143 Degrees Awarded
$14,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across the Plains States region, there were 1,443 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 143 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration 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 administration program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Winona State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Winona State is a public institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Winona State also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $13,606 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Winona State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Winona State

#2

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UMSL also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - St Louis is $6,838 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Missouri - St Louis

#3

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Dakota. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of North Dakota is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UND is $11,916 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UND Public Administration Report

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 11 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $12,495 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Northern Iowa

#5

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lindenwood University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized school located in Saint Charles, Missouri that handed out 2 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lindenwood University, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lindenwood University is $13,918 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Lindenwood University

#6

Washburn University

Topeka, Kansas
#10 in overall quality

Washburn University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Washburn University also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $12,850 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washburn University.

Full Washburn University Public Administration Report

#7

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#4 in overall quality

University of Kansas landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, KU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $15,380 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Kansas.

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 full report on Public Administration at University of Kansas

#8

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

Buena Vista University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Storm Lake, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

BVU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,773 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend BVU.

The impressive 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Buena Vista University

#9

Park University

Parkville, Missouri
#9 in overall quality

Park University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Park University is a fairly large school located in Parkville, Missouri that handed out 22 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Park University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Park University is $14,034 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration at Park University

#10

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Fayette, Iowa, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Upper Iowa University is $17,928 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration at Upper Iowa University

#11

Columbia College

Columbia, Missouri
#11 in overall quality

Columbia College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia College Missouri also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $24,862 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia College.

Read full report on Public Administration at Columbia College

#13 in overall quality

Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drury University - CCPS, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drury University - CCPS is $14,884 for plains states region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration at Drury University - CCPS

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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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