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

11 Ranked Colleges
396 Degrees Awarded
$31,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master's in the Southeast 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. 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 the Southeast 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 Southeast region, there were 1,261 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $51,533 and $29,669 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 396 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,950 and $43,286 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in public policy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public policy programs and cost less that 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools

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 Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 a Master’s in the Southeast 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 Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

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

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Duke Public Policy Report

#2

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #2 spot on the list. Vanderbilt University is located in Nashville, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southeast region master’s degree public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Vanderbilt has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt University are $50,624.

Read full report on Public Policy at Vanderbilt

#3

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, William & Mary landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at William & Mary, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at William & Mary are $34,800, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at William & Mary

#4

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 1 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.

Read full report on Public Policy at UNC Chapel Hill

#5

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school handed out 75 degrees to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia also took the #3 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394.

Read more about Public Policy at University of Virginia

#6

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

George Mason University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 69 masters’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.

GMU also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at George Mason University are $37,410.

Read more about Public Policy at George Mason University

#7

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Marshall University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Marshall University is located in Huntington, West Virginia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

Marshall University also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Marshall University are $21,162, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at Marshall University

With a ranking of #8, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s public policy degrees to qualified students.

UT Knoxville also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville are $31,798.

Read full report on Public Policy at UT Knoxville

#9

American Public University System

Charles Town, West Virginia
#9 in overall quality

American Public University System did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Charles Town, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out masters’s public policy degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

American Military University also took the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at American Public University System are $7,050, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Public Policy at American Public University System

#10

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky
#6 in overall quality

University of Kentucky landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Kentucky is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UK not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UK are $33,216, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Public Policy at UK

#11

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools for a Master’s in the Southeast Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 92 diplomas to qualified masters’s public policy students in 2019-2020.

Liberty University also made our “Best Public Policy Master’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349.

Full Liberty University Public Policy Report

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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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