2025 Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia
6
Colleges in Virginia
653
Public Admin Degrees Awarded
$59,458
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
public administration, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #60 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 653 degrees in public administration to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Public Administration School
The public admin program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Administration rankings. We derive our Best Overall Public Administration School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Public Administration Rankings by Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Administration Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Public Administration in Virginia
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public admin degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Virginia Schools in Public Admin
Any student pursuing a degree in public administration needs to check out Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 44 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Those public administration students who get their degree from Virginia Tech receive $14,663 more than the typical public admin grad.
More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Tech
It is hard to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 130 public administration students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public administration program at George Mason University get $13,933 above the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in public administration from George Mason University
Bachelors
Degree Type
BS in Business Administration - Public Administration
Program Name
Prepare yourself to make the decisions that best serve a community, its constituents and its economic growth with this specialized business degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BS in Business Administration - Public Administration from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
It is hard to beat James Madison University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.
There were about 59 public administration students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, public admin degree recipients generally earn around $48,396 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in public administration from James Madison University
It is difficult to beat Liberty University if you wish to pursue a degree in public administration. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were roughly 259 public administration students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public admin program state that they receive average early career earnings of $57,882.
More information about a degree in public administration from Liberty University
VCU is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond. This university ranks 8th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There were approximately 41 public administration students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, public admin degree recipients typically make an average of $53,777 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University