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2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Virginia

[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where public policy graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Virginia

2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in Virginia

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

Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates

1

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University
Blacksburg, VA

$68,384 Average Early-Career Salary

Our analysis ranked Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University the top school for public policy graduate earnings in Virginia. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University is a public institution. Public Policy graduates of Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University earn a median of about $68,384 a year early in their careers.

2

College Of William And Mary
Williamsburg, VA

$63,860 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at College Of William And Mary earned it the #2 place for public policy. College Of William And Mary is a public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. Public Policy graduates of College Of William And Mary earn a median of about $63,860 a year early in their careers.

3

Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA

$38,546 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #3 makes Regent University one of the highest-paying schools for public policy. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent University is a private not-for-profit institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $38,546.

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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.