2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
5
Ranked Colleges
330
Degrees Awarded
$12,600
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, there were 330 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,423 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered 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.
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
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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 Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 5 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified ’s public policy students in 2020-2021.
UPenn also made our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $580 for pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UPenn.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 UPenn Public Policy Report
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot on the list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $16,456 for pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Carnegie Mellon Public Policy Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dickinson College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dickinson is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
Dickinson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dickinson College is $12,729 for pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Public Policy at Dickinson
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the #4 spot on the list. Temple is a public institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Temple, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,173 for pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Temple.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Public Policy at Temple
Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our pennsylvania public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pitt has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pitt is $15,084 for Pennsylvania 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 full report on Public Policy at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
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