2023 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k)
95
Ranked Colleges
6,430
Degrees Awarded
$5,800
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Public Policy is the 113th most popular major in the country with 6,430 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $49,451 and had an average of $21,866 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 95 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the public policy program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
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 “Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 269 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $371 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Public Policy at Duke University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 411 students in 2020-2021.
UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,500 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 more about Public Policy at University of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 193 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Harvard also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $2,564 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Public Policy at Harvard University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Princeton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 221 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Princeton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton University is $2,958 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Princeton University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brown University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 127 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Brown also took the #8 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. It costs about $1,468 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Brown.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Brown University Public Policy Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $245 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Northwestern University Public Policy Report
University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 31 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $580 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Pennsylvania
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 225 students in 2020-2021.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $2,670 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Public Policy Report
Cornell University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 73 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Cornell also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell is $5,244 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 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 Policy at Cornell
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 190 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $3,753 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public Policy Report
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 114 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UC Berkeley Public Policy Report
Georgetown University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 201 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgetown also took the #14 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Georgetown University is $3,077 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Public Policy at Georgetown University
Vanderbilt University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 59 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $3,176 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Vanderbilt Public Policy Report
Trinity College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Trinity College is a small school located in Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 55 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity Bantams also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $9,349 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Trinity College.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Trinity College Public Policy Report
William & Mary came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. William & Mary is located in Williamsburg, Virginia and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
William & Mary also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend William & Mary is $5,972 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 William & Mary Public Policy Report
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. University of Maryland - College Park is a large school located in College Park, Maryland that handed out 235 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
UMCP also made our “Best Public Policy Schools” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend University of Maryland - College Park is $6,067 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UMCP Public Policy Report
Washington University in St Louis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 28 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $1,556 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Public Policy at WUSTL
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 96 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,981 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $16,456 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. UMN Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 71 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $7,698 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Public Policy at UMN Twin Cities
University of Virginia - Main Campus came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Virginia is a large public school situated in Charlottesville, Virginia. It awarded 165 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. It costs about $12,476 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Virginia.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 131 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 199 students in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $17,287 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Southern California
Virginia Tech ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 27 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
Virginia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Public Policy Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $11,934 for public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. 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 Policy at Virginia Tech
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 3 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,752 for Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 Policy at IU Bloomington
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