by our College Data Analytics Team
[Public Administration](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-administration/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a public administration degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 4 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying public administration schools.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools whose public administration graduates go on to earn the most.
University Of Washington Seattle Campus tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools in Washington. University Of Washington Seattle Campus is a public school located in the city of Seattle. Early-career public administration graduates from University Of Washington Seattle Campus make a median of around $89,838 per year.
Seattle University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in public administration, landing the #2 spot this year. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle. Early-career public administration graduates from Seattle University make a median of around $87,989 per year.
A rank of #3 makes The Evergreen State College one of the highest-paying schools for public administration. The Evergreen State College is a public school located in the suburb of Olympia. Early-career public administration graduates from The Evergreen State College make a median of around $73,539 per year.
Eastern Washington University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public administration schools. Located in the town of Cheney, Eastern Washington University is a public institution. After graduating, public administration degree recipients from Eastern Washington University typically earn about $62,171 annually.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public administration graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.