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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Public Administration in California

35 Ranked Colleges
1,883 Degrees Awarded
$29,200 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California” 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 California, there were 1,883 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,932 and $27,676 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in public administration.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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

Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California

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

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 309 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 California State University - Northridge Public Administration Report

2
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 172 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at SDSU

3
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 35 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 164 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Southern California

4

Out of the 35 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school handed out 129 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Dominguez Hills

5
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National University
La Jolla, California

Out of the 35 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the #5 spot on the list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 108 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 National University Public Administration Report

6

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 131 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Long Beach

7

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 81 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - San Bernardino

8
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University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 80 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at USFCA

9

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 California State University - Fullerton

9

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking, coming in at #9. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 66 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Cal State East Bay

11
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University of La Verne
La Verne, California

University of La Verne did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. La Verne, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 University of La Verne

12
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California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist Public Administration Report

12

California State University - Bakersfield landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 53 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Bakersfield

14
15

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Cal State LA

16
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 32 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at San Francisco State University

17
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University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

With a ranking of #17, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. Pacific is located in Stockton, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of the Pacific

18
Golden Gate University - San Francisco crest
Golden Gate University - San Francisco
San Francisco, California

Golden Gate University - San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 30 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Golden Gate University - San Francisco

19
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Brandman University
Irvine, California

Brandman University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 more about Public Administration at Brandman University

20

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Sacramento

21

California State University - Chico ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Chico Public Administration Report

21

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Fresno

23

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 20 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Stan State

24
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Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, California

Notre Dame de Namur University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California ranking. Notre Dame de Namur University is a small school located in Belmont, California that handed out 18 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Public Administration at Notre Dame de Namur University

25

Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in California list. Middlebury Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monterey, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Middlebury Institute Public Administration Report

Notes and References

References

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