Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k

8 Ranked Colleges
562 Degrees Awarded
$15,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across Massachusetts, there were 562 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $54,833 and $39,641 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. 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 Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in Massachusetts

#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k 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 2019-2020, this school awarded 252 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Harvard has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $1,010 for massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Public Policy at Harvard

#2

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Tufts University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Medford, Massachusetts, and it awarded 9 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Tufts has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $6,516 for Massachusetts Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Tufts University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Public Policy at Tufts University

#3

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 1 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern University is $12,823 for massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Northeastern

#4

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 34 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

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 Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $14,474 for massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Amherst

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts - Boston. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k. This fairly large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 35 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Boston has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $15,055 for Massachusetts Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston.

Full UMass Boston Public Policy Report

#6

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brandeis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 154 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandeis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis is $16,074 for Massachusetts Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Policy at Brandeis University

#7

Simmons University

Boston, Massachusetts

Simmons University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 5 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Simmons also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Simmons is $25,818 for Massachusetts Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. The low 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Simmons University

#8

Suffolk University

Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Suffolk, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $28,938 for massachusetts public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Suffolk University.

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

Read full report on Public Policy at Suffolk

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.

Credits

Featured Public Administration Schools

Find Schools Near You