2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k)
94
Ranked Colleges
6,430
Degrees Awarded
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 94 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 For Those Making $48-$75k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 193 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $2,669 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Harvard University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Public Policy at Harvard
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 269 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Duke also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $7,160 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Duke.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Duke
Out of the 94 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 411 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $8,375 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low undergrad 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%. 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at UChicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Princeton is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 221 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, Princeton has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Princeton University is $5,542 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Full Princeton University Public Policy Report
Out of the 94 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $5,849 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 97%. The low undergrad 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%.
Full Northwestern University Public Policy Report
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 73 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cornell University is $9,785 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 96%. 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at Cornell
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 225 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public policy students whose families make $48-$75k list, U-M has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,481 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Public Policy Report
Brown University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 127 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Brown not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $10,219 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Brown.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Brown University Public Policy Report
University of California - Berkeley came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 114 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,423 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #10, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Vanderbilt is $7,694 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at Vanderbilt
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 190 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $11,619 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Policy Report
University of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $12,020 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Pennsylvania Public Policy Report
Georgetown University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Georgetown University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 201 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Georgetown also took the #14 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,505 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Georgetown University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 full report on Public Policy at Georgetown University
William & Mary did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $10,995 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at William & Mary
With a ranking of #15, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $8,149 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full WUSTL Public Policy Report
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 75 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $21,526 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 undergraduate students.
Full Carnegie Mellon Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #17, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 71 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,911 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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
Trinity College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Hartford, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.
Trinity Bantams did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $18,675 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Trinity Bantams.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Trinity Bantams Public Policy Report
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 131 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $12,644 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UCLA
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 165 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $16,019 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 96 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $10,364 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UW - Madison Public Policy Report
University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,929 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 UNLV
University of Delaware landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of Delaware is a large school located in Newark, Delaware that handed out 46 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Delaware is $17,260 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at UD
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 115 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UT Austin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $16,134 for public policy students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UT Austin.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at UT Austin
With a ranking of #25, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 199 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $22,826 for Public Policy students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full USC Public Policy Report
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