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2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
892 Degrees Awarded
$13,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Far Western US Region 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.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 892 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,209 and $22,744 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 114 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

UC Berkeley also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Public Policy at UC Berkeley

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 131 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Los Angeles

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 199 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,287 for far western us region 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 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full University of Southern California Public Policy Report

4

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #4 spot on the list. UNLV is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $8,991 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Public Policy at UNLV

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Riverside. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school awarded 109 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

UCR also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCR is $6,810 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 2.3% 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%.

Full UCR Public Policy Report

6

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 14 ’s public policy degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Public Policy at UC Irvine

7
Portland State University crest
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon

Portland State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Portland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $10,716 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Portland State University

8
Wazzu crest
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.

Wazzu also took the #11 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wazzu is $7,689 for Far Western US Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Full Washington State University Public Policy Report

9
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

Mills College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mills, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,236 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mills College.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Mills Public Policy Report

10
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California Lutheran University is located in Thousand Oaks, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

CLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $20,774 for far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Lutheran University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full CLU Public Policy Report

11
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pepperdine University is located in Malibu, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pepperdine has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine is $36,264 for far western us region 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 85%. 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%.

Read more about Public Policy at Pepperdine University

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