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2023 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

10 Ranked Colleges
1,017 Degrees Awarded
$49,722 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master's

Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration and social service. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration and social service programs as well as strong veteran support.

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, veteran affordability, and veteran population. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s”.

Top 10 Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Virginia

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Commonwealth University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s. Located in Richmond, Virginia, this large public school awarded 214 degrees to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at VCU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 29,070 students enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University were GI Bill® students, of which 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,085. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

Full VCU Veteran Student Life Report

2
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 241 masters’s public administration and social service degrees to qualified students.

GMU also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2.Among the 38,541 students enrolled at George Mason University, 2,334 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,583 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $10,710. To help with additional expenses, 42 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 George Mason University Veteran Student Life Report

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. James Madison University is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree vets studying public administration & social service list, JMU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Among the 21,594 students enrolled at JMU, 842 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 464 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,824. On top of their other funding sources, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Virginia is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 89 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Virginia supports 25,628 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Virginia - Main Campus]](/colleges/university-of-virginia-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)

5
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Old Dominion University landed the #5 spot on the list. Old Dominion is a large public school situated in Norfolk, Virginia. It awarded 38 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list.Among the 24,286 students enrolled at Old Dominion University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

6
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking. Liberty University is a large school located in Lynchburg, Virginia that handed out 244 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Among the 93,349 students enrolled at Liberty University, 13,282 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 8,897 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,888. To help with additional expenses, 386 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

7
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Regent University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and it awarded 32 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree vets studying public administration & social service list, Regent has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Among the 10,483 students enrolled at Regent, 1,414 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1,139 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,203. On top of their other funding sources, 42 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Regent does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Regent University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

Radford University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. Located in Radford, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 48 diplomas to qualified masters’s public administration and social service students in 2020-2021.

Radford also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #7.Our most recent data shows that 460 of the 10,695 students enrolled at Radford were GI Bill® students, of which 225 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,142. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Radford offers credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Radford Veteran Student Life Report

9
Norfolk State crest
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia

With a ranking of #9, Norfolk State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s list. Norfolk State is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 45 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Norfolk State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 527 of the 5,457 students enrolled at Norfolk State were GI Bill® students, of which 208 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,223. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Norfolk State University Veteran Student Life Report

10

Strayer University - Virginia landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Virginia for Public Administration & Social Service for a Master’s ranking. Strayer University - Virginia is a small private for-profit school situated in Arlington, Virginia. It awarded 20 masters’s public administration and social service degrees in 2020-2021.

Strayer University - Virginia also made our “Best Public Administration & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #10.Of the 4,797 students enrolled at Strayer University - Virginia, 63 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 59 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,224. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Strayer University - Virginia Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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