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2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

9 Ranked Colleges
583 Degrees Awarded
$15,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 583 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,163 and $39,196 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in Massachusetts

#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 287 students in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $2,973 for massachusetts public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Harvard

#2

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Boston University is $12,903 for Massachusetts Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Boston University

#3

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $10,239 for massachusetts public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Northeastern University

#4

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Westfield State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Westfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Westfield also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Westfield is $12,672 for Massachusetts Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Westfield

#5

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k. Bridgewater, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

Bridgewater State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater State University is $13,332 for massachusetts public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration at Bridgewater State University

University of Massachusetts - Boston came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMass Boston is a fairly large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 18 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Boston also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston is $13,859 for Massachusetts Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Massachusetts - Boston

#7

Clark University

Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Clark is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Clark, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Clark is $22,734 for massachusetts public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. The 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at Clark

#8

Anna Maria College

Paxton, Massachusetts

Anna Maria College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Anna Maria College is located in Paxton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 101 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Anna Maria also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $21,602 for Massachusetts Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Anna Maria College.

Read full report on Public Administration at Anna Maria

#9

Suffolk University

Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 34 ’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

Suffolk did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Suffolk University is $27,748 for massachusetts public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Full Suffolk University Public Administration Report

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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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