2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Public Policy is the 116th most popular major in the country with 6,199 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, public policy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $52,077 and had an average of $35,743 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 1,533 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,789 and $38,708 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 588 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,278 and $24,587 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality public policy programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public policy program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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The public policy 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 “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Princeton University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Princeton, New Jersey. It awarded 108 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Princeton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Princeton is $1,386 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UPenn is $3,181 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The 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 impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Cornell University landed the #3 spot on the list. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cornell also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Cornell is $7,484 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maryland - College Park landed the #4 spot on the list. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UMCP also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $8,054 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UMCP.
The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, St Mary’s College of Maryland landed the #5 spot on the list. St. Mary’s City, Maryland is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMCM, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St Mary’s College of Maryland is $9,445 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low 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%. The 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.
Dickinson College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dickinson is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Dickinson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Dickinson is $11,046 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive 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.
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carnegie Mellon University is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon is $12,542 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 ranking of #8, University at Albany did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UAlbany is located in Albany, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UAlbany also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UAlbany is $13,123 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #9, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Gettysburg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 16 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Gettysburg not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Gettysburg is $11,244 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
University of Delaware landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Newark, Delaware is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s public policy degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
UD also took the #10 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $11,487 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Delaware.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, this large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
Rutgers New Brunswick also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $13,545 for Middle Atlantic Region Bachelor’s Degree 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
SUNY Empire State College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 51 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
SUNY Empire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Empire is $9,934 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Siena College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Siena is located in Loudonville, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Siena not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Siena College is $20,232 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Rider University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
Rider also made our “Best Public Policy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $21,161 for middle atlantic region bachelor’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rider University.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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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).
- 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
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- 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
- Credit for the banner image above goes to The Official CTBTO Photostream.
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