2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Michigan
[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for public policy students.
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2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Michigan
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the public policy degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Public Policy Schools
University Of Michigan Ann Arbor tops our 2027 list of the best value public policy schools in Michigan. Set in the city of Ann Arbor, University Of Michigan Ann Arbor is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,848, while out-of-state students pay about $63,081. Typical student debt for public policy graduates is $21,000. Early-career public policy graduates make about $62,481. That is a strong return on a $21,000 median debt. Roughly 16% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in public policy will find it at Michigan Technological University, which ranked #2. Set in the town of Houghton, Michigan Technological University is a moderately-sized public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $20,532, compared with $44,807 for out-of-state students. Public Policy graduates carry a median of $25,800 in student loans. Public Policy graduates of Michigan Technological University earn a median of $64,652 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $25,800 median debt. Roughly 92% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Michigan State University earned it the #3 place for public policy. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,079, while out-of-state students pay about $44,850. Typical student debt for public policy graduates is $26,337. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from Michigan State University generally make around $47,909. That is a strong return on a $26,337 median debt. The acceptance rate is 85%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
