2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region
14
Ranked Colleges
892
Degrees Awarded
$20,400
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 the Far Western US Region” 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 the Far Western US region, there were 892 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,209 and $22,744 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy programs and 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
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 in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region public policy students.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UNLV is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 12 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UNLV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,993 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students per year to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 114 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,032 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. 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 UC Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Portland State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Portland State University also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $12,498 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Portland State University Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loma Linda University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region. This small school is located in Loma Linda, California, and it awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students list, Loma Linda University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Public Policy at Loma Linda University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Lutheran University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region. CLU is a small school located in Thousand Oaks, California that handed out 30 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
CLU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CLU is $27,410 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at California Lutheran University
Washington State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 12 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Wazzu also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $15,300 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full Wazzu Public Policy Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 14 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $12,209 for far western us region public policy students per year to attend UC Irvine.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, 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 94%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UC Irvine
Central Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #8. This fairly large school is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and it awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
CWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for CWU is $16,514 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
Read full report on Public Policy at CWU
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 131 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $15,023 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
The low undergrad 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%. 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 UCLA
Mills College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Mills is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Mills did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mills is $24,949 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Mills College
University of California - Riverside ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 109 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $11,822 for far western us region public policy students.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UCR
With a ranking of #12, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 31 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Pepperdine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $38,846 for far western us region public policy students per year to attend Pepperdine University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Public Policy at Pepperdine University
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
MSMU also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for MSMU is $30,938 for far western us region public policy students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Public Policy at MSMU
University of Southern California came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 199 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $32,569 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students per year to attend USC.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Public Policy at USC
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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
- *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
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