by our College Data Analytics Team
[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for public policy students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in public policy, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in public policy, no school beat University Of Southern Maine this year. University Of Southern Maine is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Portland. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,090, while out-of-state students pay about $29,940. Typical student debt for public policy graduates is $23,593. Early-career public policy graduates make about $51,576. That is a strong return on a $23,593 median debt. The acceptance rate is 79%.
The ranking above is published 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 · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the one ranked school only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.