2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy in Pennsylvania (With Aid)
5
Ranked Colleges
330
Degrees Awarded
$29,000
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 330 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,423 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 5 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania public policy students with aid.
Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy in Pennsylvania (With Aid)
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pennsylvania landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $25,046 for pennsylvania public policy students with aid per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
The low undergrad 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 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.
Read more about Public Policy at UPenn
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon is $36,775 for pennsylvania public policy students with aid.
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%. 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. 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 Carnegie Mellon
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Temple University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
Temple also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Temple is $23,888 for Pennsylvania Public Policy students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Temple Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Pitt is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Pitt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $27,058 for Pennsylvania Public Policy students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 93%.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dickinson College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
Dickinson also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $32,250 for Pennsylvania Public Policy students with aid per year to attend Dickinson.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Public Policy at Dickinson
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