College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

6 Ranked Colleges
470 Degrees Awarded
$15,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia 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 in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Virginia, there were 470 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $54,843 and $24,525 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered 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.

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

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Public Policy Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Virginia 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 Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 6 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.

William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $7,507 for Virginia Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend William & Mary.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at William & Mary

2
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 165 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia is $10,063 for virginia public policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Tech is a large school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 27 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $14,003 for Virginia Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Policy at Virginia Tech

4
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 #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 88 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $15,979 for Virginia Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national 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 George Mason University

5
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Regent University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. Regent University is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 37 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Regent also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Regent University is $20,707 for Virginia Public Policy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Regent Public Policy Report

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Lynchburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 98 students in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $27,251 for virginia public policy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Public Policy at Liberty University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options