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2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Rhode Island

[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.

To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 2 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for public policy students.

What’s on this page:

• Best Value Public Policy Schools in Rhode Island

2027 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Rhode Island

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in public policy, balancing cost against outcomes.

Best Value Public Policy Schools

1

University Of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI

$16,942 In-State Tuition & Fees

$23,500 Avg Student Debt

$69,743 Median Earnings (10yr)

For return on investment in public policy, no school beat University Of Rhode Island this year. Located in the suburb of Kingston, University Of Rhode Island is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,942, with out-of-state students paying around $37,146. Students borrow a median of $23,500 to complete the public policy program here. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from University Of Rhode Island generally make around $38,868. That is a strong return on a $23,500 median debt. Roughly 72% of applicants are accepted.

2

Brown University
Providence, RI

$71,312 In-State Tuition & Fees

$10,345 Avg Student Debt

$93,487 Median Earnings (10yr)

Brown University is a great value for students pursuing a degree in public policy, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Providence, Brown University is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $71,312. Public Policy graduates carry a median of $10,345 in student loans. Soon after graduation, public policy degree recipients from Brown University generally make around $59,863. Set against $10,345 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 5% of applicants are accepted.

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Notes and References

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 · 2 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.