by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Public Administration is the 60th most popular major in the country with 16,043 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , public administration graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $51,600 and had an average of $39,769 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking analyzed 472 colleges that offered a degree in public administration. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in public administration.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for public admin students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of Menominee Nation. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. CMN is a small school located in Keshena, Wisconsin that handed out 6 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Calumet College of Saint Joseph. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Calumet College of Saint Joseph is located in Whiting, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Anna Maria College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major. This small school is located in Paxton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 90 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Out of the 472 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Hawaii - West Oahu landed the #4 spot on the list. UH West Oahu is located in Kapolei, Hawaii and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 131 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Hawaii - West Oahu Public Administration Report
Out of the 472 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Barry University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Miami, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 162 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The Evergreen State College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Evergreen is a small school located in Olympia, Washington that handed out 48 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Guam did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major list. Located in Mangilao, Guam, this small public school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified ’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 612 students in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 219 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Baltimore landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. UB is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 53 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Located in Monterey, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 1 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Public Administration Report
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #13. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 68 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Alfred University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Alfred, New York, and it awarded 30 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Hilbert College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Hamburg, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Public Administration at Hilbert College
University of Alaska Southeast came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. University of Alaska Southeast is a public institution located in Juneau, Alaska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. 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.
Read full report on Public Administration at University of Alaska Southeast
Metropolitan College of New York did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #17. Metropolitan College of New York is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 51 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Metropolitan College of New York Public Administration Report
Marist College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Poughkeepsie, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 61 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Flagler College - St Augustine did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #20. Flagler College - St Augustine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Augustine, Florida. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Full Flagler College - St Augustine Public Administration Report
Clark University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #21. Clark is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 52 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
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 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 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Virginia International University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking, coming in at #22. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Public Administration at Virginia International University
Notre Dame de Namur University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Belmont, California, and it awarded 0 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Hawaii Pacific University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. This small school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 25 ’s public admin degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern University and A & M College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Public Admin Major ranking. Southern University and A & M College is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Public Administration at Southern University and A & M College
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 52 | Park University | Parkville, MO |
| 53 | Belhaven University | Jackson, MS |
| 54 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus | Teaneck, NJ |
| 55 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
| 56 | Medgar Evers College | Brooklyn, NY |
| 57 | Kentucky State University | Frankfort, KY |
| 58 | West Virginia State University | Institute, WV |
| 59 | Arkansas State University - Main Campus | Jonesboro, AR |
| 60 | Walden University | Minneapolis, MN |
| 61 | University of La Verne | La Verne, CA |
| 62 | Strayer University - South Carolina | Greenville, SC |
| 63 | Norwich University | Northfield, VT |
| 64 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 65 | Savannah State University | Savannah, GA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | Southern University at New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 67 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
| 68 | Kean University | Union, NJ |
| 69 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
| 70 | Touro University Worldwide | Los Alamitos, CA |
| 71 | South University, Columbia | Columbia, SC |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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