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2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
758 Degrees Awarded
$18,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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.

Across the Southeast region, there were 1,261 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,533 and $29,669 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 758 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 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.

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.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southeast Region (With Aid)

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 168 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $12,352 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Public Policy Report

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 82 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid list, University of Virginia has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $20,397 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Virginia

#3

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 233 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Duke also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $27,020 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The 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 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 Duke University

#4

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Williamsburg, Virginia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid list, William & Mary has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for William & Mary is $19,800 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read full report on Public Policy at William & Mary

#5

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Mississippi landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in University, Mississippi, this large public school handed out 56 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

Ole Miss not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $14,016 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students with aid per year to attend Ole Miss.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Ole Miss Public Policy Report

#6

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $21,198 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid per year to attend Virginia Tech.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Virginia Tech

#7

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $19,432 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Vanderbilt Public Policy Report

#8

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, Tennessee
#9 in overall quality

Trevecca Nazarene University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Trevecca Nazarene University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at TNU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend TNU is $17,499 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid.

Read full report on Public Policy at Trevecca Nazarene University

#9

Mercer University

Macon, Georgia
#7 in overall quality

Mercer University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Mercer is a private not-for-profit institution located in Macon, Georgia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mercer, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $21,464 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students with aid per year to attend Mercer University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Mercer

#10

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $13,953 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid per year to attend Georgia State.

Read more about Public Policy at Georgia State University

#11

Regent University

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Regent is a fairly large school located in Virginia Beach, Virginia that handed out 26 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Regent did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Regent University is $15,267 for southeast region bachelor’s degree public policy students with aid.

Read more about Public Policy at Regent University

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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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