2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Maryland

[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.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for public policy students.
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2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Maryland
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 Maryland College Park earned the #1 spot for value among public policy schools in Maryland. Located in the suburb of College Park, University Of Maryland College Park is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $11,809, with out-of-state students paying around $41,186. Typical student debt for public policy graduates is $21,500. Early-career public policy graduates make about $55,767. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. University Of Maryland College Park admits about 45% of applicants.
University Of Maryland Baltimore County is a great value for students pursuing a degree in public policy, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Baltimore, University Of Maryland Baltimore County is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $13,256, while out-of-state students pay about $31,225. Public Policy graduates carry a median of $21,331 in student loans. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from University Of Maryland Baltimore County generally make around $49,179. That is a strong return on a $21,331 median debt. The acceptance rate is 72%.
A rank of #3 makes Johns Hopkins University one of the best values for public policy. Johns Hopkins University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore. Students from in state pay about $64,730 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $13,426 to complete the public policy program here. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from Johns Hopkins University generally make around $97,034. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Johns Hopkins University admits about 6% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, 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.