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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Virginia

4 Ranked Colleges
249 Degrees Awarded
$28,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in Virginia

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 Virginia” 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 Virginia, there were 477 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,725 and $29,647 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 249 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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. 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 for a Master’s in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in Virginia

#1

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. GMU is a large public school situated in Fairfax, Virginia. It awarded 69 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at GMU are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at George Mason University

#2

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #2 spot on the list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 13 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

William & Mary did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full William & Mary Public Policy Report

#3

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#4

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #4 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 92 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

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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