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

11 Ranked Colleges
396 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master'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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Southeast region, there were 1,261 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,533 and $29,669 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 396 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,950 and $43,286 respectively.

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

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 a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region master’s degree public policy students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’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 Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill

#2

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 75 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #3. 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.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend William & Mary. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. This medium-sized school is located in Williamsburg, Virginia, and it awarded 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at William & Mary

#4

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #4 spot on the list. GMU 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 also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GMU Public Policy Report

#5

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #5 spot on the list. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke University are $59,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Duke University Public Policy Report

#6

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Marshall University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Marshall University is located in Huntington, West Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Marshall University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Marshall University are $21,162, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Marshall University Public Policy Report

#7

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#9 in overall quality

American Public University System landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. American Public University System is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students with aid list, American Military University has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at American Public University System are $7,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at American Military University

#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 25 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624.

Read full report on Public Policy at Vanderbilt University

#9

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#6 in overall quality

University of Kentucky came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UK is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UK also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kentucky are $33,216, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Kentucky

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large school located in Knoxville, Tennessee that handed out 9 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Knoxville, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville are $31,798, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#11

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 92 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Liberty 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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