2023 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
9
Ranked Colleges
488
Degrees Awarded
$34,000
Avg Cost*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 16,897 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 49th most popular in the United States.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 488 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the public administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania vets studying public admin.
Top 9 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 17 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 13,519 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon, 117 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,422. In addition to receiving other benefits, 36 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 Carnegie Mellon University Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.
Pitt also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 32,277 students enrolled at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus, 509 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 364 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,281. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through 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 93%. 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 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin list. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 324 of the 26,552 students enrolled at University of Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 131 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,383. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Pennsylvania]](/colleges/university-of-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. WCUPA is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WCUPA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 17,719 students enrolled at WCUPA, 390 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 208 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,155. During this same period, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
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Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kutztown University, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 168 of the 7,890 students enrolled at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,498. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full Kutztown University Veteran Student Life Report
Villanova University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking. This fairly large school is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 114 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Villanova not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 11,032 students enrolled at Villanova, 997 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 824 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,584. In addition to receiving other benefits, 41 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Villanova University]](/colleges/villanova-university/student-life/veterans/)
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking. Ship is a medium-sized school located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Ship did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 266 of the 6,130 students enrolled at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 117 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,948. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Veteran Student Life Report
Strayer University - Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Trevose, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania vets studying public admin list, Strayer University - Pennsylvania has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,190 students enrolled at Strayer University - Pennsylvania, 8 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Strayer University - Pennsylvania Veteran Student Life Report
Widener University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking, coming in at #9. Widener is a medium-sized school located in Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 11 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Widener also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 6,150 students enrolled at Widener, 111 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,151. In addition to receiving other benefits, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Widener does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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 Widener University]](/colleges/widener-university-main-campus/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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