2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
13
Ranked Colleges
929
Degrees Awarded
$12,500
Avg Net Price*
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 Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.
Across the New England region, there were 929 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,069 and $23,320 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public policy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 193 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Harvard has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $2,564 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 127 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Brown, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $1,468 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full Brown Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Trinity College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Hartford, Connecticut. It awarded 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Trinity Bantams has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Bantams is $9,349 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Trinity College
Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandeis University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 185 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Brandeis has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Brandeis University is $13,389 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Public Policy at Brandeis University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Tufts University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Tufts also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $8,122 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Policy at Tufts University
University of Southern Maine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Portland, Maine, this medium-sized public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
University of Southern Maine also took the #12 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern Maine is $8,338 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Southern Maine
University of Connecticut did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. UCONN is a public institution located in Storrs, Connecticut. The school has a large population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCONN has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCONN is $14,069 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.
Full University of Connecticut Public Policy Report
University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UMass Boston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $13,734 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMass Boston.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Massachusetts - Boston
University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Amherst, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 57 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Amherst, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $12,033 for New England Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst
With a ranking of #10, University of Rhode Island did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kingston, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at URI, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Rhode Island is $12,175 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Policy at URI
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. This fairly large school is located in Durham, New Hampshire, and it awarded 17 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNH, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is $17,993 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
Simmons University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Simmons University is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Simmons did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $21,080 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Simmons University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Simmons University Public Policy Report
Suffolk University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the New England Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Suffolk University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Suffolk also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $28,457 for new england region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Suffolk.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Suffolk Public Policy Report
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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