College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

7 Ranked Colleges
604 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 16,905 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 60th most popular in the United States. 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 Virginia, there were 604 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,548 and $29,668 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 7 colleges that offer 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Admin Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 44 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,003 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full Virginia Tech Public Administration Report

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 79 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at JMU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,985 for virginia 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 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full James Madison University Public Administration Report

3
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 118 students in 2020-2021.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $15,979 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend George Mason University.

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

Full George Mason University Public Administration Report

4
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Old Dominion is a large school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 44 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $13,574 for Virginia Public Admin students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Old Dominion University.

Read more about Public Administration at Old Dominion

5

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #5 spot on the list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 41 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University

6
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Regent University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Regent University is $20,707 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at Regent University

7
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 196 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $27,251 for virginia public admin students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration at Liberty University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options