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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

14 Ranked Colleges
268 Degrees Awarded
$12,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 17,269 people earned their degree in public administration, making the major the 58th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $48,859 and had an average of $42,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,956 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,336 and $35,041 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 268 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration programs that also have a lower cost than 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Houston - Clear Lake. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Clear Lake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UH Clear Lake is $4,517 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration at University of Houston - Clear Lake

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 53 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,516 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Full The University of Texas at San Antonio Public Administration Report

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Arizona, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Arizona is $10,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Arizona Public Administration Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Dallas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UT Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $10,857 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration at UT Dallas

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend West Texas A&M University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. West Texas A&M University is a public institution located in Canyon, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

West Texas A&M University also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $8,730 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at West Texas A&M University

#6

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas State is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 39 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State University.

Read more about Public Administration at Texas State

#13 in overall quality

Stephen F Austin State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFASU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,650 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFASU.

Full SFASU Public Administration Report

#8

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

NAU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Arizona University is $9,251 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Public Administration at NAU

University of Phoenix - Arizona came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 42 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

UOPX - Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UOPX - Arizona is $12,601 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Phoenix - Arizona

#12 in overall quality

University of Central Oklahoma did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCO has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Central Oklahoma is $12,297 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at UCO

#8 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 15 bachelors’s public admin degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Oklahoma

#12

Tarleton State University

Stephenville, Texas
#7 in overall quality

Tarleton State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stephenville, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public admin degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k list, Tarleton has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Tarleton State University is $15,604 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at Tarleton

#13

Saint Edward's University

Austin, Texas
#5 in overall quality

Saint Edward’s University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. St. Edward’s University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Edward’s University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend St. Edward’s University is $19,126 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at St. Edward’s University

#14

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas
#14 in overall quality

Texas Southern University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s public admin students in 2019-2020.

TSU also made our “Best Public Administration Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for TSU is $19,390 for southwest region bachelor’s degree public admin students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Public Administration at TSU

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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

Footnotes

  • *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.

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