2022 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
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 Southwest region, there were 536 public policy graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,050 and $23,421 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Featured schools near , edit
More Ways to Rank Public Policy Schools
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 in the Southwest Region 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. 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $12,203 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #2 spot on the list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 5 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,454 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Public Policy at Texas A&M University - College Station
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Houston, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
UH also took the #5 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,203 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UH.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Tucson, Arizona, this large public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s public policy students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Arizona has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $10,562 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Dallas. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 ’s public policy degrees to qualified students.
UT Dallas also took the #6 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $10,857 for Southwest 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 90%. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
With a ranking of #6, Arizona State University - Skysong did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. ASU - Skysong is a large public school situated in Scottsdale, Arizona. It awarded 85 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Skysong is $12,037 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Public Policy at Arizona State University - Skysong
With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Arlington, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,811 for Southwest Region Public Policy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Arlington.
Read full report on Public Policy at The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s public policy degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma also took the #4 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Public Policy at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 2 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
UNM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of New Mexico - Main Campus is $13,242 for southwest region public policy students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #9, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 41 ’s public policy degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Methodist University is $26,718 for southwest 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 90%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Public Policy at Southern Methodist University
Narrow Results by Region
Southeast
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
Rocky Mountains
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Rocky Mountains Region
Middle Atlantic
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
Southwest
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
New England
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the New England Region
Plains States
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region
Far Western US
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
Great Lakes
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
Narrow Results by State
Switch to a Similar Major
Human Services
Best Value Colleges for Human Services (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Public Administration
Best Value Colleges for Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Other Public Administration
Best Value Colleges for Other Public Administration (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
Best Public Policy Schools in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students in the Southwest Region
Most Focused Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students in the Southwest Region
Most Popular Online Public Policy Schools
Public Policy students in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students with family income less than $30k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students with family income $48-$75k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income Over $110k) in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students with family income exceeding $110k in the Southwest Region
Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students in the Southwest Region
Most Popular Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
Public Policy students getting aid in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students with family income $30-$48k in the Southwest Region
Best Value Colleges for Public Policy (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region
Public Policy students with family income $75-$110k in the Southwest Region
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.
Featured Public Administration Schools
Request Info |
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |