2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
8
Ranked Colleges
144
Degrees Awarded
$11,200
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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 Plains States region, there were 144 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,368 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public policy program at the school. 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 Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 28 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for WUSTL is $1,556 for Plains States Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Policy at Washington University in St Louis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UMN Twin Cities has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, 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 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UMN Twin Cities Public Policy Report
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
KU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend KU is $15,666 for plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at KU
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized public school situated in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It awarded 1 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $10,513 for Plains States Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Northern Iowa.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Northern Iowa Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Missouri Southern State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Joplin, Missouri is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Missouri Southern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern is $7,881 for Plains States Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Public Policy at Missouri Southern State University
Capella University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Capella University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Capella University is $16,410 for Plains States Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Capella University Public Policy Report
St Catherine University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. St Catherine University is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at St. Kate’s, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for St. Kate’s is $14,391 for plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read more about Public Policy at St Catherine University
Saint Louis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 1 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
SLU also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for SLU is $15,136 for plains states region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at SLU
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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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