2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region
26
Ranked Colleges
1,304
Degrees Awarded
$17,900
Avg Net Price*
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 in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Public Administration is the 49th most popular major in the country with 16,897 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,304 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 26 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.
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.
More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools
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 in the Plains States Region”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in the Plains States Region
Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Walden University landed the #1 spot on the list. Walden University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 301 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Walden University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Walden University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of South Dakota is a public institution located in Vermillion, South Dakota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USD also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of South Dakota is $19,389 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full USD Public Administration Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hamline University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 37 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Hamline also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $20,474 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Hamline University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Hamline University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Minnesota State University - Mankato. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region. Minnesota State University - Mankato is a fairly large school located in Mankato, Minnesota that handed out 5 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Minnesota State Mankato did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $17,159 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Full Minnesota State University - Mankato Public Administration Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Capella University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 84 students in 2020-2021.
Capella University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Capella University is $16,545 for plains states region public admin students.
Read full report on Public Administration at Capella University
Winona State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Winona, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State is $17,634 for plains states region public admin students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Full Winona State University Public Administration Report
University of North Dakota came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of North Dakota is a fairly large school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 22 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UND also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UND is $16,966 for plains states region public admin students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of North Dakota
Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 74 students in 2020-2021.
Missouri State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $16,718 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Missouri State
Lindenwood University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. Saint Charles, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lindenwood University, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lindenwood University is $17,366 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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
Park University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. This medium-sized school is located in Parkville, Missouri, and it awarded 72 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Park University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,619 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Park University.
Read more about Public Administration at Park University
Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. Saint Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
St. Cloud State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Cloud State University is $14,581 for plains states region public admin students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Full St. Cloud State University Public Administration Report
Drake University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Drake University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Drake did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $29,903 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Drake University.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Full Drake Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #13, University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 68 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UNOMAHA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha is $13,914 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The undergrad 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 full report on Public Administration at University of Nebraska at Omaha
With a ranking of #14, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region public admin students list, UNI has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $16,438 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Northern Iowa
With a ranking of #15, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region public admin students list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $17,878 for Plains States Region Public Admin students per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Kansas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Kansas is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 65 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
KU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend KU is $20,257 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
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 low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at KU
With a ranking of #17, Metropolitan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. Metropolitan State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Metro State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,044 for Plains States Region Public Admin students per year to attend Metro State.
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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Metropolitan State University
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - Columbia is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 107 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our plains states region public admin students list, Mizzou has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $16,559 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Mizzou.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Mizzou Public Administration Report
Kansas State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is located in Manhattan, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
K -State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for K -State is $18,433 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 87%.
Full K -State Public Administration Report
Bellevue University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Bellevue University is located in Bellevue, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Bellevue University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bellevue University is $17,288 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Bellevue University
With a ranking of #21, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region list. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,859 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend WSU.
Read more about Public Administration at Wichita State University
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Southeast Missouri State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $13,568 for plains states region public admin students per year to attend Southeast Missouri State University.
Full Southeast Missouri State University Public Administration Report
Upper Iowa University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Fayette, Iowa, and it awarded 47 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UIU is $24,063 for Plains States Region Public Admin students.
Read more about Public Administration at UIU
Columbia College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Columbia College is $26,668 for plains states region public admin students.
Read more about Public Administration at Columbia College
University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 36 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UMSL also took the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - St Louis is $12,232 for plains states region public admin students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UMSL Public Administration Report
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