2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k)
276
Ranked Colleges
16,897
Degrees Awarded
$4,200
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Administration is the 49th most popular major in the country with 16,897 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 276 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent public administration programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public administration program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” 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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $245 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Administration at Northwestern
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 193 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $2,564 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Read more about Public Administration at Harvard
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 65 students in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Public Administration at Johns Hopkins University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $580 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at UPenn
Out of the 276 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #5 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 757 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,752 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University - Bloomington
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 280 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, John Jay is in the top on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $788 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 at John Jay
Baruch College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Baruch is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 208 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $493 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Baruch.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Administration at Baruch
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 170 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Public Administration at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
With a ranking of #9, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $7,698 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read more about Public Administration at UMN Twin Cities
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 374 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Columbia also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Administration at Columbia
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Cornell
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at UNC Chapel Hill
Georgetown University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Georgetown excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgetown is $3,077 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Administration at Georgetown
With a ranking of #14, Florida International University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. FIU is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 262 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
FIU excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend FIU is $3,196 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 at FIU
California State University - Northridge came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 309 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSUN is also in the top of our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It costs about $6,266 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUN.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at CSUN
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 115 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $2,191 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 190 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, IUPUI is in the top on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend IUPUI is $7,026 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at IUPUI
California State University - Long Beach came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 131 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, CSULB is in the top on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $6,663 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUB is located in Bakersfield, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,238 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Bakersfield
With a ranking of #20, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 185 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State is $7,068 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Ohio State University - Main Campus
California State University - Fresno landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,859 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Administration at Fresno State
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $4,950 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State University Public Administration Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 129 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,657 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Full CSUDH Public Administration Report
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,590 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Fullerton
With a ranking of #25, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 222 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCF excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $4,468 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Central Florida Public Administration Report
