2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $48-$75k)
264
Ranked Colleges
16,905
Degrees Awarded
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Administration is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,905 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
This year’s “Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 264 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public administration programs and 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 For Those Making $48-$75k”.
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. 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 Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $48-$75k)
Out of the 264 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 193 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, Harvard has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,669 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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%.
Full Harvard Public Administration Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $5,849 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Read more about Public Administration at Northwestern 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 $48-$75k. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Johns Hopkins, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $8,457 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Administration at Johns Hopkins University
Out of the 264 schools in the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 374 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia University in the City of New York is $8,106 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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. 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 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia Public Administration Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 170 students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also made our “Best Public Administration Schools” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $8,393 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UW Seattle Public Administration Report
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 757 students 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 $12,369 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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
University of Pennsylvania ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, UPenn has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $12,020 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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 full report on Public Administration at UPenn
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 74 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #14 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $9,785 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. 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 more about Public Administration at Cornell University
John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. John Jay is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 280 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
John Jay excels when it comes to public admin quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,811 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
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 John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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 UT Rio Grande Valley is $5,452 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 full report on Public Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 37 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It costs about $12,911 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Public Administration at UMN Twin Cities
Baruch College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Baruch is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Baruch is $7,187 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Baruch Public Administration Report
California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Bakersfield is $9,102 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Public Administration at CSUB
With a ranking of #14, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school awarded 309 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
CSUN also claimed a top spot on our “Best Public Administration Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,780 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k 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 CSUN Public Administration Report
Florida International University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FIU 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 yearly cost to attend FIU is $7,292 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Public Administration at Florida International University
California State University - Long Beach ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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.
CSULB 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 CSULB is $11,189 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 CSULB
California State University - Fresno came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,030 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Fresno 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 3.2% 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 Fresno State
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 60 degrees 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 in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $11,619 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Administration Report
University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 107 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mizzou, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Columbia is $13,715 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Mizzou Public Administration Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 129 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $6,333 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSUDH.
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 California State University - Dominguez Hills Public Administration Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Missouri - St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 36 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $11,291 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Missouri - St Louis.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Read more about Public Administration at UMSL
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 39 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $5,700 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Public Administration at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - Fullerton ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 66 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $9,017 for Public Admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 more about Public Administration at California State University - Fullerton
Florida State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Florida State University is located in Tallahassee, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $11,506 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Read more about Public Administration at Florida State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Admin Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school handed out 185 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our public admin students whose families make $48-$75k list, Ohio State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Public Administration Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,273 for public admin students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.
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 full report on Public Administration at Ohio State
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