2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

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 Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 6,199 people earned their degree in public policy, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. 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 District of Columbia, there were 329 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,367 and $57,344 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 317 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $61,525 and $61,455 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 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. 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 District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for district of columbia master’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

#1

Georgetown University

Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$53,591 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$75,149 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgetown University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k. Georgetown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 177 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgetown also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Georgetown University are $53,591, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Georgetown Public Policy Report

#2

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$31,824 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$70,863 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend George Washington University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.

GWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at George Washington University are $31,824, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at GWU

#3

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

#3 in overall quality

$35,524 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$59,485 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 54 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

The American University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The American University are $35,524, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at The American University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k)

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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