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2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

11 Ranked Colleges
468 Degrees Awarded
$17,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 97,666 people earned their degree in public administration and social service, making the major the 14th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration and social service graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $39,142 and had an average of $32,304 in loans still to pay off.

Across Washington, there were 1,573 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 468 public administration and social service graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in public administration and social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration and social service programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration and social service program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration & Social Service in Washington

#1

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 90 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, WWU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $16,529 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at WWU

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $13,297 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, 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 Administration & Social Service at UW Seattle

#3

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. EWU is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 64 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Washington University is $12,607 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Full EWU Public Administration & Social Service Report

#4

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Central Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Ellensburg, Washington. It awarded 58 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

CWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend CWU is $15,397 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Central Washington University

#5

Heritage University

Toppenish, Washington
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Heritage University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington. This small school is located in Toppenish, Washington, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

Heritage University also took the #7 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Heritage University is $10,056 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

With a 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 Administration & Social Service at Heritage University

#6

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#10 in overall quality

Washington State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $16,358 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wazzu Public Administration & Social Service Report

#7

Walla Walla University

College Place, Washington
#9 in overall quality

Walla Walla University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #7. Located in College Place, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

Walla Walla U also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Walla Walla U is $20,571 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students.

The 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 Walla Walla University Public Administration & Social Service Report

#8

Saint Martin's University

Lacey, Washington
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Saint Martin’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Lacey, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Saint Martin’s also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $22,668 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students per year to attend Saint Martin’s University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration & Social Service at Saint Martin’s

#11 in overall quality

University of Washington - Tacoma Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking, coming in at #9. UW Tacoma is a medium-sized public school situated in Tacoma, Washington. It awarded 39 bachelors’s public administration and social service degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Tacoma also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Tacoma Campus is $10,817 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 UW Tacoma

#10

Pacific Lutheran University

Tacoma, Washington
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Pacific Lutheran University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington list. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public administration and social service students in 2019-2020.

PLU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend PLU is $23,058 for washington bachelor’s degree public administration & social service students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 more about Public Administration & Social Service at PLU

#11

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington
#3 in overall quality

Seattle University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington ranking. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $34,802 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Public Administration & Social Service students per year to attend Seattle University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

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

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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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees 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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