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2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

264 Ranked Colleges
16,897 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 264 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The public admin 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 Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k”.

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 Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $48-$75k)

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 264 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 193 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Harvard also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $2,669 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Public Administration at Harvard

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 75 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,849 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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 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 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Northwestern University

3
Johns Hopkins crest
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 65 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins is $8,457 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Administration at Johns Hopkins University

4

Out of the 264 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 374 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Columbia also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,106 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 95%. 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.

Read more about Public Administration at Columbia University in the City of New York

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It costs about $8,393 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 93%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Public Administration Report

6
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 757 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $12,369 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Administration at IU Bloomington

7
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

UPenn also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $12,020 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at UPenn

8
Cornell crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 74 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, Cornell has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,785 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Cornell.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Cornell

9

John Jay College of Criminal Justice came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 280 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, John Jay is also in the top of our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend John Jay is $7,811 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full John Jay College of Criminal Justice Public Administration Report

10

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 115 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $5,452 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

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 full report on Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

11

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 37 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,911 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Public Administration at UMN Twin Cities

12
Baruch crest
Baruch College
New York, New York

Baruch College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. Baruch is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 208 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $7,187 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Baruch College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Baruch

13

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $9,102 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Public Administration at CSUB

14

California State University - Northridge ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUN is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 309 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,780 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at CSUN

15

Florida International University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. Florida International University is located in Miami, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 262 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

FIU excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $7,292 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at FIU

16

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 131 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $11,189 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at CSULB

17

California State University - Fresno came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 21 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $8,030 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Fresno State

18

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

19

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mizzou is $13,715 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Public Administration Report

20

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Carson, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 129 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,333 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUDH.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at CSUDH

21
UMSL crest
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UMSL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UMSL is $11,291 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Missouri - St Louis Public Administration Report

22

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $5,700 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Cal State LA

23

With a ranking of #23, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 66 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State Fullerton is $9,017 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full California State University - Fullerton Public Administration Report

24
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $11,506 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Florida State University

25

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 185 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It costs about $13,273 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, 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 94%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus Public Administration Report

Rest of the Best 41 in Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k

Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
Rutgers Newark crest
Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, New Jersey
29
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia
30
31
32
33
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, Michigan
34
American Military University crest
American Public University System
Charles Town, West Virginia
35
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
36
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California
37
38
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
39
Indian River State College crest
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, Florida
40
UNF crest
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
40

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

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