2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k)
276
Ranked Colleges
16,905
Degrees Awarded
$4,200
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 16,905 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 60th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $51,352 and had an average of $29,054 in loans still to pay off.
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. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration 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 program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Public Administration Schools
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 For Those Making $0-$30k”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for public admin students whose families make $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 University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 ’s 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, 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 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about 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 located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 193 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It costs about $2,564 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Harvard University.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 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 University
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. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 65 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 97%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Johns Hopkins
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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $580 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
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 a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 757 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $5,752 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full IU Bloomington Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #6, John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. John Jay is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 280 ’s public admin degrees 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 in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for John Jay College of Criminal Justice is $788 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at John Jay
Baruch College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 208 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Baruch College is $493 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Baruch College Public Administration Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 170 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $5,194 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 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national 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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 93%.
Read more about Public Administration at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 374 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $9,873 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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 University in the City of New York
Cornell University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 74 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,244 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cornell University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Administration at Cornell University
With a ranking of #12, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
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 in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 UNC Chapel Hill
Georgetown University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Georgetown is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 7 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Georgetown is also in the top of our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown is $3,077 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Georgetown
Florida International University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Miami, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 262 students 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 Florida International University is $3,196 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 Florida International University
California State University - Northridge landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 309 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, CSUN also did well on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. 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 California State University - Northridge.
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 full report on Public Administration at CSUN
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 115 ’s public admin 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Read more about Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school handed out 190 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, IUPUI is also in the top of our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $7,026 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 more about Public Administration at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
California State University - Long Beach landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 131 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
CSULB excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,663 for Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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 full report on Public Administration at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,238 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full California State University - Bakersfield Public Administration Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 185 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $7,068 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Ohio State University - Main Campus
California State University - Fresno came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,859 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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
Florida State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $4,950 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State University Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #23, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. 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%.
Read more about Public Administration at California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #24, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 66 ’s public admin 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.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California State University - Fullerton Public Administration Report
University of Central Florida ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 222 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UCF excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $4,468 for public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Central Florida
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