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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Public Administration in Pennsylvania

17 Ranked Colleges
488 Degrees Awarded
$31,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania

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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

Across Pennsylvania, there were 488 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,877 and $27,000 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public administration. To top this list, a school must have a successful public administration program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.

Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania public admin students.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at Pitt

2
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Villanova University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania list. Villanova is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Villanova University

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 59 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at UPenn

4
WCUPA crest
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #4 spot on the list. WCUPA is located in West Chester, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

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 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%.

Read more about Public Administration at WCUPA

5
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Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Out of the 17 schools in the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #5 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Public Administration at Carnegie Mellon

6

With a ranking of #6, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania 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.

Read full report on Public Administration at Kutztown University

7
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Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking, coming in at #7. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized school located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ship Public Administration Report

8
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Gannon University
Erie, Pennsylvania

Gannon University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania list. Erie, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Public Administration at Gannon

8
Widener crest
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania

Widener University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Chester, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Widener University Public Administration Report

10

Strayer University - Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Strayer University - Pennsylvania is a private for-profit institution located in Trevose, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Strayer University - Pennsylvania Public Administration Report

11
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Marywood University
Scranton, Pennsylvania

Marywood University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Marywood University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Administration at Marywood

11
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Point Park University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #11, Point Park University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania list. Point Park is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.

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 Point Park

13

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Indiana, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Public Administration at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

14
Saint Francis crest
Saint Francis University
Loretto, Pennsylvania

Saint Francis University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Saint Francis University is a small school located in Loretto, Pennsylvania that handed out 1 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Administration at Saint Francis

14
Manor College crest
Manor College
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania

Manor College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Jenkintown, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

Full Manor College Public Administration Report

16

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Pitt Bradford is a public institution located in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Administration at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

16

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Public Admin Major in Pennsylvania ranking. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public institution located in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Public Administration at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania

Notes and References

References

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