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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region

22 Ranked Colleges
536 Degrees Awarded
$52,627 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking.

Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 Far Western US region, there were 892 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,209 and $22,744 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 536 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,693 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 22 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.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The public policy school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region master’s degree public policy students.

Top 22 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy in the Far Western US Region

1
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mills College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region. Mills is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oakland, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 masters’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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Public Policy at Mills College

2
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California Lutheran University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Thousand Oaks, California, and it awarded 30 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full CLU Public Policy Report

3
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pepperdine University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Malibu, California, and it awarded 31 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at Pepperdine

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Bothell Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region. This medium-sized school is located in Bothell, Washington, and it awarded 18 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Washington - Bothell Campus

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 108 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 UC Berkeley

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 108 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Southern California Public Policy Report

7

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #7. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 70 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at UCLA

8

University of California - San Diego landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 57 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 UCSD

9
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Stanford University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.

Full Stanford University Public Policy Report

10

University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 18 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Riverside Public Policy Report

11
Oregon State crest
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon

With a ranking of #11, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, this large public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Oregon State Public Policy Report

12
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Portland, Oregon, this large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at Portland State University

13

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 12 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

14

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 14 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Irvine

15

University of California - San Francisco ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - San Francisco is a small public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Public Policy at University of California - San Francisco

16
Pacific crest
University of the Pacific
Stockton, California

University of the Pacific ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Stockton, California, and it awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of the Pacific

17
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Pullman, Washington, and it awarded 4 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Wazzu

18

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Public Policy Report

18
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

Claremont Graduate University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. Claremont Graduate University is a small school located in Claremont, California that handed out 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Public Policy at Claremont Graduate University

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Public Policy Report

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Alaska Anchorage is a fairly large public school situated in Anchorage, Alaska. It awarded 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Alaska Anchorage

18

University of California - Hastings College of Law landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Public Policy Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Hastings is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 0 masters’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UC Hastings

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