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2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in District of Columbia

[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their public policy graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in District of Columbia

2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in District of Columbia

Below are the schools whose public policy graduates go on to earn the most.

Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates

1

Georgetown University
Washington, DC

$111,540 Average Early-Career Salary

Our analysis ranked Georgetown University the top school for public policy graduate earnings in District of Columbia. Located in the city of Washington, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, public policy degree recipients from Georgetown University typically earn about $111,540 annually.

2

George Washington University
Washington, DC

$111,576 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at George Washington University earned it the #2 place for public policy. George Washington University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Early-career public policy graduates from George Washington University make a median of around $111,576 per year.

3

American University
Washington, DC

$107,080 Average Early-Career Salary

Students chasing top earnings in public policy will find them at American University, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Washington, American University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $107,080.

View All Public Policy Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public policy graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• 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.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.