College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Public Policy Schools in New York

5 Colleges in New York
393 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$56,036 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public policy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #113 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for public policy students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 393 degrees in public policy annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Policy School

Best Public Policy Schools in New York Your choice of public policy school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public policy schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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.

Pick Your Public Policy Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Policy
Master's Degrees in Public Policy
Doctor's Degrees in Public Policy

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Policy Schools in New York ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Policy in New York

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 policy degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top New York Schools in Public Policy

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$77,906 Median Starting Salary

Cornell University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were about 67 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent year we have data available. Public Policy degree recipients from Cornell University get an earnings boost of about $21,870 over the average earnings of public policy majors.

More information about a degree in public policy from Cornell University

2
Hamilton crest
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NY
14.3% Growth in Graduates

Hamilton College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public policy. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Clinton, Hamilton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Hamilton is a great college overall.

There were approximately 21 public policy students who graduated with this degree at Hamilton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public policy from Hamilton College

Sponsored
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 University

Related Programs

3
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
35 Public Policy Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in public policy has to check out University at Albany. UAlbany is a large public university located in the midsize city of Albany. This university ranks 27th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 35 public policy students who graduated with this degree at UAlbany in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public policy from University at Albany

4
SUNY Empire crest
SUNY Empire State College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
86 Public Policy Degrees Awarded
$52,614 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat SUNY Empire State College if you want to pursue a degree in public policy. SUNY Empire is a medium-sized public college located in the small suburb of Saratoga Springs. This college ranks 47th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 86 public policy students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Empire in the most recent data year. After graduating, public policy degree recipients typically earn an average of $52,614 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in public policy from SUNY Empire State College

5
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$54,079 Median Starting Salary

SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public university located in the suburb of Stony Brook. This university ranks 14th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 16 public policy students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public policy program report average early career income of $54,079.

More information about a degree in public policy from Stony Brook University

Best Public Policy Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Public Policy Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 317
Maryland 279 223
New Jersey 273 284
District of Columbia 188 317
Delaware 175 46

View All Rankings >

Public Policy is one of 4 different types of Public Administration & Social Service programs to choose from.

Public Policy Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Public Policy Analysis 257
Other Public Policy Analysis 53
International Policy Analysis 34
Education Policy Analysis 32
Health Policy Analysis 17

View All Public Policy Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Administration 1,680
Human Services 1,576
Community Organization & Advocacy 698
Other Public Administration 106

View All Public Policy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options