2023 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
9
Ranked Colleges
488
Degrees Awarded
$34,000
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
Across Pennsylvania, there were 488 public administration graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,877 and $27,000 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in public administration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public administration programs as well as strong veteran support.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public administration program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin” list to help you make the college decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania vets studying public admin.
Top 9 Best Public Administration Colleges for Veterans in Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public admin degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 117 of the 13,519 students enrolled at Carnegie Mellon were GI Bill® students, of which 72 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,422. To help with additional expenses, 36 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Carnegie Mellon University]](/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this large public school handed out 72 degrees to qualified ’s public admin students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pitt, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 509 of the 32,277 students enrolled at Pitt were GI Bill® students, of which 364 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $16,281. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…
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 Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 59 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania vets studying public admin list, UPenn has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 324 of the 26,552 students enrolled at University of Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 131 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,383. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin. WCUPA is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 55 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WCUPA also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 17,719 students enrolled at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 390 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 208 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,155. On top of their other funding sources, 9 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at West Chester University of Pennsylvania]](/colleges/west-chester-university-of-pennsylvania/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin that were part of this year’s ranking, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #5 spot on the list. Kutztown University 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.
Kutztown University also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 7,890 students enrolled at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 168 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,498. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Villanova University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking. Villanova is a fairly large school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania that handed out 114 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Villanova, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Villanova supports 11,032 students, and 997 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 824 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,584. To help with additional expenses, 41 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Villanova University Veteran Student Life Report
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin ranking. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s public admin degrees to qualified students.
Ship not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 6,130 students enrolled at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 266 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 117 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,948. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Ship Veteran Student Life Report
Strayer University - Pennsylvania ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin list. This small school is located in Trevose, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
Strayer University - Pennsylvania not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 8 of the 2,190 students enrolled at Strayer University - Pennsylvania were GI Bill® students, of which 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,822. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Strayer University - Pennsylvania offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Full Strayer University - Pennsylvania Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #9, Widener University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Pennsylvania for Public Admin list. Widener University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chester, Pennsylvania. It awarded 11 ’s public admin degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania vets studying public admin list, Widener has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 6,150 students enrolled at Widener University, 111 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 51 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,151. To help with additional expenses, 9 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Widener University Veteran Student Life Report
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
Credits
college factual
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