2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California
23
Ranked Colleges
798
Degrees Awarded
$38,800
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 California, there were 798 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $52,313 and $22,744 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California” ranking, we looked at 23 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular public policy programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
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 “Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California”.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california public policy students.
Top 23 Most Popular Colleges for Public Policy in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 199 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Southern California
Out of the 23 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 131 ’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 1.6% 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 UCLA
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California. University of California - Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full University of California - Berkeley Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 109 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Riverside Public Policy Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California. University of California - San Diego is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 57 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - San Diego
With a ranking of #6, Mills College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. This small school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 31 ’s public policy 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Public Policy at Mills
Pepperdine University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Pepperdine University Public Policy Report
Stanford University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 31 ’s public policy 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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Stanford
California Lutheran University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. CLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 30 ’s 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at CLU
With a ranking of #10, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. University of Redlands is located in Redlands, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Redlands Public Policy Report
University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Irvine Public Policy Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 12 students 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%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #13, Pomona College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Public Policy at Pomona College
With a ranking of #14, Claremont McKenna College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 4 ’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%. 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 full report on Public Policy at Claremont McKenna College
With a ranking of #15, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 2 ’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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full MSMU Public Policy Report
Loma Linda University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. Loma Linda, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Loma Linda University
University of the Pacific came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full University of the Pacific Public Policy Report
Chapman University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 1 ’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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Policy at Chapman University
University of California - San Francisco ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this small public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full UCSF Public Policy Report
University of California - Hastings College of Law came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. University of California - Hastings College of Law is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 0 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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 full report on Public Policy at UC Hastings
Scripps College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. Scripps College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 0 ’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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Scripps Public Policy Report
Claremont Graduate University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 0 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Claremont Graduate University Public Policy Report
Pitzer College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Policy Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Claremont, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Pitzer Public Policy Report
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Notes and References
References
- 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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