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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southeast Region

17 Ranked Colleges
718 Degrees Awarded
$38,895 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 6,430 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 1,260 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $50,417 and $21,515 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 718 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,400 and $27,180 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their public policy program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region”.

Top 17 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Southeast Region

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 190 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Duke University

2

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 186 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Public Policy Report

3
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 17 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #3 spot on the list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 52 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at William & Mary

4
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Regent University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It awarded 37 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Policy at Regent

5
YHC crest
Young Harris College
Young Harris, Georgia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Young Harris College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Young Harris College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Young Harris, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Young Harris College

6
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus

7
Ole Miss crest
University of Mississippi
University, Mississippi

With a ranking of #7, University of Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in University, Mississippi, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Ole Miss

8
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 35 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Vanderbilt University Public Policy Report

9
Oakwood crest
Oakwood University
Huntsville, Alabama

Oakwood University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Huntsville, Alabama is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Oakwood University Public Policy Report

10
Mercer crest
Mercer University
Macon, Georgia

Mercer University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Macon, Georgia, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Policy at Mercer

11
Georgia State crest
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia State University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia State is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Policy at Georgia State University

12
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Policy at Virginia Tech

13
Augusta University crest
Augusta University
Augusta, Georgia

Augusta University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Augusta University is located in Augusta, Georgia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Augusta University

14
TNU crest
Trevecca Nazarene University
Nashville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #14, Trevecca Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. This small school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Policy at TNU

15

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #15. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 13 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Georgia Tech

16
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Emory University

17
Elon crest
Elon University
Elon, North Carolina

Elon University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Southeast Region list. Elon University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Elon, North Carolina. It awarded 0 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Elon University

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