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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

11 Ranked Colleges
532 Degrees Awarded
$33,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 a Master’s 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 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 Far Western US region, there were 815 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,911 and $47,125 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 532 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 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.

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s 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 for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Stanford University Public Policy Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 126 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Full UC Berkeley Public Policy Report

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 58 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Irvine has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UC Irvine Public Policy Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686.

Read full report on Public Policy at University of California - Riverside

#6

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #6, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 96 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715.

Full University of Southern California Public Policy Report

#7

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#10 in overall quality

Washington State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Wazzu is located in Pullman, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Wazzu did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Washington State University are $27,561.

Full Washington State University Public Policy Report

#8

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon
#6 in overall quality

Portland State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

Portland State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Portland State University

#9

Mills College

Oakland, California

Mills College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

Mills not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mills are $36,263, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Public Policy at Mills College

#10

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, California
#9 in overall quality

California Lutheran University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California Lutheran University is a small school located in Thousand Oaks, California that handed out 23 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

CLU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at CLU are $20,600, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California Lutheran University Public Policy Report

#11

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California

Pepperdine University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pepperdine are $36,320, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Policy at Pepperdine

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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.

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