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2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania

8 Ranked Colleges
488 Degrees Awarded
$18,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Public Administration is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,905 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $51,352 and had an average of $29,054 in loans still to pay off.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 488 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,877 and $27,000 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 8 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. 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 Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, UPenn has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full University of Pennsylvania Public Administration Report

2
Carnegie Mellon crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $13,608 for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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 Carnegie Mellon University

3
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Villanova University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 114 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Villanova also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Villanova is $26,460 for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Villanova University Public Administration Report

4
WCUPA crest
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 55 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, WCUPA has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Chester University of Pennsylvania is $16,325 for Pennsylvania Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Administration at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Pitt is a large public school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 72 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Pitt is $17,691 for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Public Administration Report

6
Ship crest
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #6, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ship is a public institution located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Ship did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $19,488 for pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Ship Public Administration Report

7

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school situated in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 16 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania public admin students whose families make $30-$48k list, Kutztown University has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kutztown University is $19,255 for Pennsylvania Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

8
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania

Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Widener is a medium-sized school located in Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 11 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Widener not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Widener is $31,220 for Pennsylvania Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Widener University Public Administration Report

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