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2023 Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

20 Ranked Colleges
647 Degrees Awarded
$45,826 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor's

Veterans 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 Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Southeast region, there were 3,743 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,873 and $30,563 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 647 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,400 and $27,180 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 20 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s”.

Top 20 Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in the Southeast Region

1
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s. JMU is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 59 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

JMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.According to our most recent data, JMU supports 21,594 students, and 842 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 464 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,824. During this same period, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. JMU does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at James Madison University]](/colleges/james-madison-university/student-life/veterans/)

2
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s. George Mason University is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 33 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying public admin list, GMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Of the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University, 2,334 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,710. To help with additional expenses, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at GMU]](/colleges/george-mason-university/student-life/veterans/)

3
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Auburn University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s. Auburn is a public institution located in Auburn, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Auburn, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,499 of the 30,737 students enrolled at Auburn were GI Bill® students, of which 746 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,423. In addition to receiving other benefits, 68 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Auburn University Veteran Student Life Report

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Liberty University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Of the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,888. On top of their other funding sources, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Liberty University Veteran Student Life Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Florida International University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 122 students in 2020-2021.

FIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 1,079 of the 58,836 students enrolled at Florida International University were GI Bill® students, of which 606 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,771. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Florida International University]](/colleges/florida-international-university/student-life/veterans/)

6

With a ranking of #6, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1,122 of the 30,559 students enrolled at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville were GI Bill® students, of which 739 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,650. During this same period, 8 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Veteran Student Life Report

7
Samford crest
Samford University
Birmingham, Alabama

Samford University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Samford is located in Birmingham, Alabama and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Samford also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #11.Among the 5,729 students enrolled at Samford University, 162 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 101 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,201. During this same period, 36 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Samford]](/colleges/samford-university/student-life/veterans/)

8

University of Central Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.

UCF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 2,263 of the 71,881 students enrolled at UCF were GI Bill® students, of which 1,216 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,995. On top of their other funding sources, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UCF Veteran Student Life Report

9
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #9. FAU is a large school located in Boca Raton, Florida that handed out 61 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

FAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.According to our most recent data, Florida Atlantic University supports 30,805 students, and 708 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 397 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,153. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full Florida Atlantic University Veteran Student Life Report

10
WCU crest
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. Western Carolina University is a fairly large public school situated in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It awarded 76 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

WCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Of the 12,243 students enrolled at WCU, 439 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 182 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,242. During this same period, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full WCU Veteran Student Life Report

11
Fayetteville State University crest
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, North Carolina

With a ranking of #11, Fayetteville State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Fayetteville State University is a medium-sized school located in Fayetteville, North Carolina that handed out 12 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying public admin list, Fayetteville State University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 17 of the 6,726 students enrolled at Fayetteville State University were GI Bill® students, of which 11 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $502. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Fayetteville State University]](/colleges/fayetteville-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

12
Barry University crest
Barry University
Miami, Florida

Barry University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Miami, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Barry University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Of the 7,515 students enrolled at Barry University, 22 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 19 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,141. To help with additional expenses, 12 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Barry University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Barry University Veteran Student Life Report

13
Harding crest
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas

Harding University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Searcy, Arkansas, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying public admin list, Harding has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Of the 4,617 students enrolled at Harding, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,932. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Harding offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

14
Flagler St. Augustine crest
Flagler College - St Augustine
Saint Augustine, Florida

Flagler College - St Augustine came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in Saint Augustine, Florida, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Flagler St. Augustine also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #13.According to our most recent data, Flagler St. Augustine supports 2,687 students, and 130 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 73 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,461. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Flagler St. Augustine does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

15
KY State crest
Kentucky State University
Frankfort, Kentucky

Kentucky State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. KY State is a public institution located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree vets studying public admin list, KY State has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Of the 2,290 students enrolled at Kentucky State University, 40 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 10 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,836. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Kentucky State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at KY State]](/colleges/kentucky-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

16
Shaw University crest
Shaw University
Raleigh, North Carolina

With a ranking of #16, Shaw University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Shaw University is located in Raleigh, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Shaw University also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #19.Of the 1,283 students enrolled at Shaw University, 71 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 22 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,999. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Shaw University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Read More…

17
Indian River State College crest
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, Florida

With a ranking of #17, Indian River State College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Indian River State College is a fairly large public school situated in Fort Pierce, Florida. It awarded 21 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

Indian River State College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 539 of the 15,236 students enrolled at Indian River State College were GI Bill® students, of which 315 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,800. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Indian River State College offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Indian River State College]](/colleges/indian-river-state-college/student-life/veterans/)

18
Henderson State University crest
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

Henderson State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #18. Henderson State University is located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

Henderson State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list.Our most recent data shows that 129 of the 3,163 students enrolled at Henderson State University were GI Bill® students, of which 50 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,114. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at Henderson State University]](/colleges/henderson-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

19
SPC crest
St Petersburg College
Clearwater, Florida

With a ranking of #19, St Petersburg College did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. St Petersburg College is a large school located in Clearwater, Florida that handed out 30 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

SPC also took the #20 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.Of the 26,430 students enrolled at SPC, 1,273 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 820 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $1,870. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at St Petersburg College]](/colleges/st-petersburg-college/student-life/veterans/)

20

Southern University at New Orleans ranked #20 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in the Southeast Region for Public Admin for a Bachelor’s list. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this small public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

SUNO also took the #17 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking.According to our most recent data, SUNO supports 2,264 students, and 90 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 21 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,473. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Southern University at New Orleans Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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