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2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

15 Ranked Colleges
2,157 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 98,583 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $40,520 and had an average of $27,642 in loans still to pay off.

Across Virginia, there were 2,157 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,798 and $27,601 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration and social service. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration and social service programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The public administration & social service 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 “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

1
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend William & Mary. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. William & Mary is a medium-sized school located in Williamsburg, Virginia that handed out 55 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $7,507 for virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend William & Mary.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 full report on Public Administration & Social Service at William & Mary

2
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 180 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia is $10,063 for virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%.

Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Public Administration & Social Service Report

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, this large public school awarded 71 degrees to qualified ’s public administration and social service students in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $14,003 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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 Administration & Social Service at Virginia Tech

4
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. JMU is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 136 ’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

JMU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,985 for virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full JMU Public Administration & Social Service Report

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Mason University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 342 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k list, GMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GMU is $15,979 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full GMU Public Administration & Social Service Report

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

With a ranking of #6, Radford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Radford is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 92 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Radford University is $13,026 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Radford University

7
Norfolk State crest
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. This medium-sized school is located in Norfolk, Virginia, and it awarded 91 ’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Norfolk State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Norfolk State University is $15,321 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Norfolk State University

8

With a ranking of #8, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Richmond, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 348 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k list, VCU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,891 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.

Full VCU Public Administration & Social Service Report

9
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Norfolk, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k list, Old Dominion has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion is $13,574 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Old Dominion

10
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Regent, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $20,707 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Regent University.

Full Regent University Public Administration & Social Service Report

11
Mary Baldwin crest
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, Virginia

Mary Baldwin University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Staunton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s public administration and social service students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k list, Mary Baldwin has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $17,744 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Mary Baldwin.

Full Mary Baldwin University Public Administration & Social Service Report

12

With a ranking of #12, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Virginia Beach, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia public administration & social service students whose families make $30-$48k list, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is $12,183 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach

13
Virginia State crest
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #13, Virginia State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Petersburg, Virginia, this small public school handed out 35 degrees to qualified ’s public administration and social service students in 2020-2021.

Virginia State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia State University is $16,672 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Virginia State University Public Administration & Social Service Report

14
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 495 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Liberty University is $27,251 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Liberty University

15
Bluefield College crest
Bluefield College
Bluefield, Virginia

Bluefield College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Bluefield, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public administration and social service degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bluefield College, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bluefield College is $20,520 for Virginia Public Administration & Social Service students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Bluefield College

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