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2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in North Carolina

11 Ranked Colleges
469 Degrees Awarded
$13,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina” ranking.

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 North Carolina, there were 469 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,458 and $18,429 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration programs that also have a lower cost than 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.

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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 North Carolina”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina public admin students.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in North Carolina

1
WCU crest
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the #1 spot on the list. WCU is a fairly large school located in Cullowhee, North Carolina that handed out 86 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina public admin students list, WCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $13,924 for north carolina public admin students per year to attend Western Carolina University.

Read full report on Public Administration at Western Carolina University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 60 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $12,469 for north carolina public admin students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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

Full UNC Chapel Hill Public Administration Report

3
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, North Carolina State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it awarded 41 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina public admin students list, NC State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $16,411 for north carolina public admin students per year to attend North Carolina State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 NC State

4
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Appalachian State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Appalachian State University is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 40 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Appalachian State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Appalachian State is $13,989 for North Carolina 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Appalachian State University Public Administration Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina. Greensboro, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina public admin students list, UNC Greensboro has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $11,629 for north carolina public admin students.

Full University of North Carolina at Greensboro Public Administration Report

6

University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina list. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

UNC Charlotte not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Charlotte is $17,634 for north carolina public admin students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, 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.

Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Public Administration Report

7

University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #7. Wilmington, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.

UNCW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $19,136 for North Carolina Public Admin students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at UNCW

8
Fayetteville State University crest
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #8, Fayetteville State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina list. Fayetteville State University is a medium-sized school located in Fayetteville, North Carolina that handed out 12 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Fayetteville State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Fayetteville State University is $6,969 for North Carolina Public Admin students.

Read full report on Public Administration at Fayetteville State University

9
North Carolina Central University crest
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

North Carolina Central University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #9. North Carolina Central University is a public institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

North Carolina Central University also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,332 for north carolina public admin students per year to attend North Carolina Central University.

Read full report on Public Administration at North Carolina Central University

10

University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina ranking. University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution located in Pembroke, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Pembroke, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $10,792 for North Carolina Public Admin students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Read more about Public Administration at University of North Carolina at Pembroke

11
Strayer University - North Carolina crest
Strayer University - North Carolina
Morrisville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #11, Strayer University - North Carolina did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in North Carolina list. Strayer University - North Carolina is located in Morrisville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Strayer University - North Carolina also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in North Carolina” ranking.

Read more about Public Administration at Strayer University - North Carolina

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