2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 815 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,911 and $47,125 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 20 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,342 and $136,270 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 4 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified doctorate’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region doctor’s degree public policy students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at UC Berkeley

#2

University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

#4 in overall quality

$21,962 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNLV is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 2 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV also made our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nevada - Las Vegas are $21,962.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Public Policy Report

#3

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

#3 in overall quality

$23,784 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Portland State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Portland State University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784.

Read full report on Public Policy at Portland State University

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Doctorate in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Southern California

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (With Aid)

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

• Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.

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