2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,524 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 51 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k)
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 233 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $-1,314 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Cornell also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $7,518 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 129 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,800 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The impressive 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,145 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 51 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 108 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Princeton, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,044 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Princeton University.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northwestern University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 66 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $3,995 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UPenn also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $4,833 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Brown University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 60 students in 2019-2020.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $6,684 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Vanderbilt University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Vanderbilt is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt is $6,017 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $5,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 168 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. It costs about $6,063 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.
Trinity College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Trinity College is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 32 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Bantams not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Bantams is $9,123 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $11,696 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Public Policy Report
William & Mary came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $4,963 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UMCP is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 68 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMCP has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,128 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMCP.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $13,782 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $10,037 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ohio State.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, 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.
Dickinson College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Dickinson is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Dickinson also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #18. The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson is $12,662 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of California - Riverside came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $9,151 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside
St Mary’s College of Maryland landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SMCM is a small public school situated in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. It awarded 10 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for St Mary’s College of Maryland is $12,323 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 25 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 ranking of #22, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Virginia Tech, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $14,010 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Mississippi landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in University, Mississippi, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,566 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Ole Miss.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Gettysburg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. This small school is located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Gettysburg, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gettysburg is $14,029 for Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Southern California came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 46 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
USC also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $16,252 for bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
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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
Footnotes
- *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.
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