2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 3,160 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 74 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.
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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 228 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654.
Out of the 74 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Princeton University landed the #2 spot on the list. Princeton University is a medium-sized school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 96 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton are $56,470, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 126 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 58 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles
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 #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also took the #0 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 105 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 117 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 43 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Stanford University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #12 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 75 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia are $32,394.
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school handed out 72 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMCP, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Maryland - College Park are $30,885.
The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. UT Dallas is a large school located in Richardson, Texas that handed out 17 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Dallas are $28,610.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas at Dallas
William & Mary landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Irvine landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 22 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 6 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brigham Young University - Provo are $7,510.
Read more about Public Policy at Brigham Young University - Provo
George Mason University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. George Mason University is a public institution located in Fairfax, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
GMU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at George Mason University are $37,410.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 81 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #19, University of Utah did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at U of U are $24,695, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Houston came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Portland State University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Portland State University is a large school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 16 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
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
Duke University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 67 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree public policy students with aid list, Duke has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Riverside ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCR are $28,686.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UNI are $22,648, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Marshall University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Huntington, West Virginia, and it awarded 3 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Marshall University are $21,162, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
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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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