2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in California (With Aid)
22
Ranked Colleges
1,883
Degrees Awarded
$15,000
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.
Across California, there were 1,883 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The public admin 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 Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.
Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for california public admin students with aid.
Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration in California (With Aid)
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Northridge landed the #1 spot on the list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 309 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,523 for California Public Admin students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 State University - Northridge Public Administration Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Bakersfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california public admin students with aid list, CSUB has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $7,454 for California Public Admin students with aid.
Read more about Public Administration at CSUB
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 129 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUDH also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $4,026 for california public admin students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at CSUDH
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #4 spot on the list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 131 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for California Public Admin students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full CSULB Public Administration Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #5 spot on the list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $6,230 for California Public Admin students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Fresno State
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 39 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA also took the #23 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $3,302 for california public admin students with aid.
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%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Public Administration Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 66 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,003 for California Public Admin students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Public Administration at California State University - Fullerton
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 81 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,107 for California Public Admin students with aid per year to attend CSUSB.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at CSUSB
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 172 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $13,845 for california public admin students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at SDSU
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Stanislaus is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Stan State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. It costs about $6,566 for california public admin students with aid per year to attend Stan State.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 26 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Sacramento is $11,178 for california public admin students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Public Administration Report
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 66 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State East Bay also took the #21 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $13,298 for california public admin students with aid.
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 California State University - East Bay
With a ranking of #13, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Jose State University is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for california public admin students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at San Jose State
University of California - Riverside came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 11 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for california public admin students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Administration at UCR
California State University - Chico landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
Chico State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,218 for California Public Admin students with aid per year to attend Chico State.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Chico State Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #16, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 32 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $14,459 for california public admin students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at San Francisco State University
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Cal Baptist also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Baptist is $26,719 for california public admin students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at California Baptist University
University of Southern California ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 164 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for California Public Admin students with aid per year to attend University of Southern California.
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. 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.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Southern California
University of La Verne came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of La Verne is a medium-sized school located in La Verne, California that handed out 54 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
ULV did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend ULV is $28,260 for california public admin students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at ULV
With a ranking of #21, National University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 108 students in 2020-2021.
National University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for National University is $20,722 for California Public Admin students with aid.
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%.
Read more about Public Administration at National University
University of San Francisco landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 80 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
USFCA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $40,053 for california public admin students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full USFCA Public Administration 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
- *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.
